The soul of an octopus : a surprising exploration into the wonder of consciousness / Sy Montgomery.
2015
QL430.3.O2 M66 2015 (Mapit)
Available at General Collection
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Details
Title
The soul of an octopus : a surprising exploration into the wonder of consciousness / Sy Montgomery.
Author
Montgomery, Sy, author.
ISBN
9781451697711 (hardcover)
1451697716 (hardcover)
9781451697742
1451697716 (hardcover)
9781451697742
Published
New York : Atria Books, 2015.
Language
English
Description
261 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (some color) ; 22 cm
Call Number
QL430.3.O2 M66 2015
Dewey Decimal Classification
594/.56
Summary
"An investigation of the emotional and physical world of the octopus"-- Provided by publisher.
"In this astonishing book from the author of the bestselling memoir The Good Good Pig, Sy Montgomery explores the emotional and physical world of the octopus--a surprisingly complex, intelligent, and spirited creature--and the remarkable connections it makes with humans. Sy Montgomery's popular 2011 Orion magazine piece, "Deep Intellect," about her friendship with a sensitive, sweet-natured octopus named Athena and the grief she felt at her death, went viral, indicating the widespread fascination with these mysterious, almost alien-like creatures. Since then Sy has practiced true immersion journalism, from New England aquarium tanks to the reefs of French Polynesia and the Gulf of Mexico, pursuing these wild, solitary shape-shifters. Octopuses have varied personalities and intelligence they show in myriad ways: endless trickery to escape enclosures and get food; jetting water playfully to bounce objects like balls; and evading caretakers by using a scoop net as a trampoline and running around the floor on eight arms. But with a beak like a parrot, venom like a snake, and a tongue covered with teeth, how can such a being know anything? And what sort of thoughts could it think? The intelligence of dogs, birds, and chimpanzees was only recently accepted by scientists, who now are establishing the intelligence of the octopus, watching them solve problems and deciphering the meaning of their color-changing camouflage techniques. Montgomery chronicles this growing appreciation of the octopus, but also tells a love story. By turns funny, entertaining, touching, and profound, The Soul of an Octopus reveals what octopuses can teach us about consciousness and the meeting of two very different minds"-- Provided by publisher.
"In this astonishing book from the author of the bestselling memoir The Good Good Pig, Sy Montgomery explores the emotional and physical world of the octopus--a surprisingly complex, intelligent, and spirited creature--and the remarkable connections it makes with humans. Sy Montgomery's popular 2011 Orion magazine piece, "Deep Intellect," about her friendship with a sensitive, sweet-natured octopus named Athena and the grief she felt at her death, went viral, indicating the widespread fascination with these mysterious, almost alien-like creatures. Since then Sy has practiced true immersion journalism, from New England aquarium tanks to the reefs of French Polynesia and the Gulf of Mexico, pursuing these wild, solitary shape-shifters. Octopuses have varied personalities and intelligence they show in myriad ways: endless trickery to escape enclosures and get food; jetting water playfully to bounce objects like balls; and evading caretakers by using a scoop net as a trampoline and running around the floor on eight arms. But with a beak like a parrot, venom like a snake, and a tongue covered with teeth, how can such a being know anything? And what sort of thoughts could it think? The intelligence of dogs, birds, and chimpanzees was only recently accepted by scientists, who now are establishing the intelligence of the octopus, watching them solve problems and deciphering the meaning of their color-changing camouflage techniques. Montgomery chronicles this growing appreciation of the octopus, but also tells a love story. By turns funny, entertaining, touching, and profound, The Soul of an Octopus reveals what octopuses can teach us about consciousness and the meeting of two very different minds"-- Provided by publisher.
Bibliography, etc. Note
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Record Appears in
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Table of Contents
Athena : encountering the mind of a mollusk
Octavia : this shouldn't be happening : tasting pain, seeing dreams
Kali : the fellowship of the fishes
Eggs : beginning, ending, and shape-shifting
Transformation : the art of breathing in the ocean
Exit : freedom, desire, and escape
Karma : choice, destiny, and love
Consciousness : to think, to feel, to know.
Octavia : this shouldn't be happening : tasting pain, seeing dreams
Kali : the fellowship of the fishes
Eggs : beginning, ending, and shape-shifting
Transformation : the art of breathing in the ocean
Exit : freedom, desire, and escape
Karma : choice, destiny, and love
Consciousness : to think, to feel, to know.