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Portrait of Peter Godfrey-Smith

Peter Godfrey-Smith

(1965) Philosopher United States

25 quotes in 31 categories

Peter Godfrey-Smith is a philosopher from the United States, best known for Other Minds: The Octopus, the Sea, and the Deep Origins of Consciousness.

Quick Facts About Peter Godfrey-Smith

Born: January 1, 1965
Nationality: United States
Profession: Philosopher
Notable works: Other Minds: The Octopus, the Sea, and the Deep Origins of Consciousness

About Peter Godfrey-Smith

Peter Godfrey-Smith is an Australian philosopher of science and writer, who is currently Professor of History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Sydney. He works primarily in philosophy of biology and philosophy of mind, and also has interests in general philosophy of science, pragmatism, and some parts of metaphysics and epistemology. Godfrey-Smith was elected to the American Philosophical Society in 2022.

Biography source: Wikipedia

Awards & Honors

Jean Nicod Prize Lakatos Award

Quotes by Peter Godfrey-Smith

“But Toulmin and Goodfield's Fabric of the Heavens (1962.), an old book recently reprinted, is my favorite.”

Peter Godfrey-Smith

Book

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“Crabs and some shrimp, in contrast, will groom injured areas.”

Peter Godfrey-Smith

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In a world full of audio visual marvels, may words matter to you and be full of magic.

Peter Godfrey-Smith

Audio

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“Octopuses in at least two aquariums have learned to turn off the lights”

Peter Godfrey-Smith

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“For an octopus, its arms are partly self”

Peter Godfrey-Smith

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“All living things affect their environment by making and transforming chemicals, and”

Peter Godfrey-Smith

Environment

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“if you focus on the large fossils, you miss most of the life that is present”

Peter Godfrey-Smith

Life

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“Inner speech seems to be an important part of System 2 thinking.”

Peter Godfrey-Smith

Communication

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“our most recent common ancestor—a worm-like creature”

Peter Godfrey-Smith

Animals

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“When you dive into the sea, you are diving into the origin of us all.”

Peter Godfrey-Smith

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“seems plausible that an animal might feel pain or thirst without having an “inner model” of the world,”

Peter Godfrey-Smith

Animals

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“They are curious, embracing novelty, protean in behavior as well as in body”

Peter Godfrey-Smith

Habits

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“What does it feel like to be an octopus? To be a jellyfish? Does it feel like anything at all? Which were…

Peter Godfrey-Smith

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“Why don’t we all live for a longer time? On mountainsides in California and Nevada there are pine trees that were alive…

Peter Godfrey-Smith

Fall apart

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“multitude of micro-actions must be shaped into a macro-action.”

Peter Godfrey-Smith

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“System 2 thinking tries to follow proper rules of reasoning,”

Peter Godfrey-Smith

Intelligence

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“Around the top of their body are two dozen sophisticated eyes—”

Peter Godfrey-Smith

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“The mind evolved in the sea.”

Peter Godfrey-Smith

Psychology

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“This is probably the closest we will come to meeting an intelligent alien.”

Peter Godfrey-Smith

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“octopuses, far more than rats and pigeons, have their own ideas:”

Peter Godfrey-Smith

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“We can get by on land only by carrying a huge amount of salt water around with us.”

Peter Godfrey-Smith

Salt water

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“most behaviorally sophisticated animals outside the bilaterians are the—terrifying—box jellyfish”

Peter Godfrey-Smith

Animals

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“mammals and birds can live longer, if they don’t get eaten”

Peter Godfrey-Smith

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“Cephalopods are an island of mental complexity in the sea of invertebrate animals. Because our most recent common ancestor was so simple…

Peter Godfrey-Smith

Habits

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A scoop of pure honey set in a green bowl.

Peter Godfrey-Smith

Bowls

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