Am I conscious? Yes. How about you, or a chimpanzee or a parrot? Almost definitely. What about an oak tree, a bacterium, an electron, or God? In The Book of Minds: How To Understand Ourselves and Other Beings, From Animals to AI to Aliens, science writer Philip Ball explores the minds or mind-like qualities that seem to exist in the world, and how best to make sense of it all when the science of subjective experience remains so uncertain. He joined me for this episode to discuss the book, the evolution of nervous systems, and the difference between animals and a Roomba.

Learn more about the book here: https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/B/bo180760293.html

Follow Philip on Twitter: https://twitter.com/philipcball

Subscribe to the free weekly Storytelling Animals newsletter: https://apple6.aweb.page/p/de4ee963-cd8d-4ced-9975-e13965236a7d

Join our next book club on indigenous environmental resistance: https://daytonmartindale.com/book-club/

Support this podcast with a monthly donation on Patreon: https://patreon.com/storytellingpod

Follow this podcast on Twitter: https://twitter.com/DaytonRMartind

Like this podcast on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Storytelling-Animals-105986165338395

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.