The Dragons of Eden: Speculations on the evolution of human intelligence

I really liked this book. I didn’t find it dry at all. It is a little dated in parts, having been published in the 70’s, but it was interesting and shows just how intelligent Carl Sagan really was. There’s good stuff here. Recommended.

Sagan, usually so reliable a sage, gets drawn into the debate surrounding the issue of human intelligence. This is somewhat of a surprise - what is intelligence anyway? He doesn't suggest an answer but instead dissects some of the studies done on the subject without really getting anywhere. But can

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he? The field is ripe for philosophical discussion, but Sagan, a scientist of the first class, doesn't realise that the ground he's walking on is quicksand.

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This is the book that changed me, that opened my mind when I was 14 years old. It is about inteligence and evolution and the explanations, examples and stories are amazing. Sagan was a real genius in terms of making science sexy.

"Speculations on the Evolution of Human Intelligence" is the subtitle.

Written in 1977. I am sure that many of the subjects in this book have now progressed far beyond this collection of thoughts, nevertheless, this book provides an intriguing and wide ranging introduction to the topic. We are given

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an anatomical tour of the brain, comparisons of competing theories of how it developed and how it is organised. We are tempted with glimpses of truth resulting from comparisons between human and animal brains and behaviours, which also reveals that we are perhaps not so far removed from our nearest cousins as we might sometimes assume.

Sagan even tries to ask questions about common human myths and ways of thinking and links them to what we know about the brain's development and operation.

Much thought provoking stuff on left and right brain conflict and some fascinating insights into the effects of various brain diseases and injuries.

A very useful further reading section included.

A great book, up to his usual excellent standard.

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Carl Sagan's essays on the evolution of human intelligence amouunt to an exploration of the origins of humanity. His writing is lucid, accessible, and informative.

This is the first book by Sagan that I have read, and I was fairly impressed. He takes on the subject of human intelligence, why it evolved, and compares it to that of other organisms, describing how their brains are similar and different. I found the style of writing good, and liked the way he

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tied in myths with some of the points, which made a lot of sense. The book doesn't get too technical anywhere, so will be suitable for any reader really. Overall this was a good read, and I would recommend it to those with an interest in human thought, biology, and the brain.

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These comments are all relevant but a little random.

I was always disappointed that Sagan never updated this incredible book. I'd say to all of you: read Ancestor's Tale to get an update. This is Dawkins at his best and well, well worth the time it takes to read. He's much more humble as a scientist

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writing about his science than as a scientist as social/culture critic. Ancestor's Tale is definitely more of an opus than Dragons.

The problem I always have reading Sagan is I am haunted by his voice. It must be significant how many of the reviewers read it when they were "younger" and remember its impact. Ditto here!

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Wow! I just love Carl Sagan's subjects areas and the way he just draws you in. This book on human intelligence is truly awesome. Nuff Said!

Very good considering that Carl Sagan is writing outside of his field. Great speculations on the evolution of human/animal intelligence. Minus 1 star for being heavily outdated (originally published in 1977). I'll definitely be reading a more recent book on the same topic; written by a

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neuroscientist rather than an astrophysicist.

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One of the lesser points Sagan introduces is the analytical check our "left" brain must impose on our "right" brain's more intuitive connections. Ironically I would argue that Sagan's hesitance to check himself was this book's biggest failure. Often he excitedly drew out connections, usually

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preceded by a phrase such as "I wonder," that do not stand his left-brained test of reason.

With that said, I found the book worth the read. Sagan draws up a quick tour of human evolutionary lineage with a focus on our neocortical developments. He also always had a ready comparison to primates in order to more
fully showcase what makes us "human". As always, the line is thinner and more vague than many more orthodox religions would like to believe.

One major takeaway was the human ability, through the development of the neocortex, to have built-in "intelligence", I.e. analytical thinking, as compared to "instinct". Whereas instinctual information is programmed into tightly packed DNA (and is therefore limited in nature) and survives solely off adaptive selection, intelligence (or extragenetic info) resides in a larger brain capacity.. it is the ability to think on the fly and respond successfully to innumerable changing environments and situations.

Sagan introduces many other varying ideas and usually does a good job supporting them scientifically. All in all, if you ignore anything he says about aliens or computers, it's a good read.

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3.5/5 In all honesty, and even though I'm a big fan of his work, this book felt a bit condescending on those who aren't scientifically-inclined (more in the later parts of the book). That said, it covers an interesting variety of topics and will be great for those wondering about human intelligence

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in general.

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speculations on the origins of intelligence

While this book is somewhat dated (it came out in 1977), it still is a very interesting read and provides lots of food for thought.