Living on Earth

‘An exquisite account of intelligence across species … Living on Earth is consistently rewarding, packed with insights and invitations to reflect, and blessed with some exquisite writing’ Guardian

‘Clever, compassionate and often deeply moving … An excellent finale to an ambitious trilogy exploring the evolution of intelligence’ New Scientist

‘Wide-ranging … [and] dynamic … An extraordinary journey’ Observer

‘Godfrey-Smith is overflowing with new ways of looking at old issues, and it is always a pleasure to be introduced to them’ Literary Review

‘A hugely important book … Sweeping, careful, and courageous … Godfrey-Smith writes with grace, humility, and wisdom’ Anil Seth, director of the Centre for Consciousness Science at the University of Sussex and author of Being You: A New Science of Consciousness

‘Only Peter Godfrey-Smith could write this book. It offers a vast, kaleidoscopic, and immensely thought-provoking overview of the development of life on Earth’ Sean Carroll, professor at Johns Hopkins University and author of Quanta and Fields

‘In Living on Earth, Peter Godfrey-Smith combines vivid and compelling descriptions of the natural world, unexpectedly fascinating scientific results, and philosophical arguments that are exceptionally clear and accessible as well as deep and profound’ Alison Gopnik, professor at the University of California, Berkeley and author of The Gardener and the Carpenter

‘An essential read for understanding the legacy of the spot we’re standing in right now, and its future’ David Eagleman, neuroscientist at Stanford University and author of Incognito and Livewired

‘Yields rich new insights on the nature of life’ Michael S. Gazzaniga, professor of psychology at the University of California, Santa Barbara and author of The Consciousness Instinct

Peter Godfrey-Smith is a distinguished professor of history and the philosophy of science at the University of Sydney. He is the author of five books, including the bestselling Other Minds, which was shortlisted for the 2017 Royal Society Science Book Prize and Natural Selection, which won the 2010 Lakatos Award for an outstanding work on the philosophy of science.