The Mind's Sky: Human Intelligence in a Cosmic Context

by Timothy Ferris

Book Overview

The bestselling author of Coming of Age in the Milky Way delivers fascinating essays on the human mind, the search for extraterrestrial (and thus nonhuman) intelligence, comet strikes as a source of species extinction, near-death experiences, apocalyptic prophecies, information theory, and the origin of laughter.

Praise for The Mind's Sky

"It is a joy to read The Mind's Sky. What a sense...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0553371339
• ISBN13: 9780553371338
• Release Date: March 1993
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Length: 302 Pages
• Weight: 0.86 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.0" x 9.1"

Customer Reviews

The Galactic Internet - A Stroke of Genius

This book is a strange mix of great ideas, written with Ferris' typical professionalism. The red line is a little bit obscured at times, which leaves the reader at the end with a mixed feeling like "hey, great, but what was it all about, again?". However, the book deserves 5 stars even if it had only one chapter, I refer to "The central nervous system of the Milky Way Galaxy". He could also have called it "The Galactic Internet", a wonderful idea how to connect intelligent life despite the gaps in time and space. It gives hope that one day we may know something more than our local perspective about the place we inhabit.

An Overview of the Human Mind's Place in the Universe

This is an excellent introductory text to the place of the human mind in the cosmos. I believe that for those just beginning to think about these issues, this book is an excellent place to start. In the end, I was forced to downgrade this book a little because it is just too broad a subject. Each chapter dabbles in an interesting area and then moves on without pursuing the issues at any length. Don't get me wrong, it's interesting stuff, but all but the most casual reader will be left wanting to know more. (Maybe that's not a bad thing.)

This is a book that makes you think about how you think!

There are some books that I want to lend to friends just so they can enjoy them, but hesitate to do so because they are such good books that I may not get them back. This is not to say that I have an unusually theft-prone bunch of friends, but that some books are so dear that they seem to be hard to give back. This book is one of them - I should have bought ten of them when they first came out, just to assure a ready supply. I lent out my last one a few months ago, and can't remember who got it - therefore, I am in search of another copy. Sadly, it is out of print.This book is what happens when poetry collides with science, and lovers of both should read the result. If you ever wondered how the brain knows what it knows, what might be waiting for us in the far reaches of the universe, or whether there might be a rational medical explanation for the feeling that God exists, I recommend this book! It may not be easy to find, but worth the effort.

Top Notch Science Writing

This is an accessible science book which goes beyond science and into philosophy and introspection, and how science affects the world. Ferris is a beautiful writer who knows words and how to get them to say what he wants. Not only that, he has something meaningful to say. You leave this book with the feeling that science does have meaning for YOU, not just as an abstract system of study that exists out there somewhere. It matters.

Fascinating links between the cosmos and consciousness.

Why is the human mind capable of understanding the complexities and subtleties of the universe? What can the unseen reaches of the cosmos teach us about human consciouness? These questions are the subject of Timothy Ferris' remarkable collection of essays entitled "THE MIND'S SKY". Throughout this book the comparison of structure between the organization of the brain and the distribution of galaxies yields insight into both the nature of human behavior and the likely course of extraterrestial intelligence. The architecture of space and the nuances of neural connectivity are more than just coincidental reflections of each other according to Ferris. And so looking deeply into space may not, in the end, be much different than delving into the origins and complexities of our own consciousness. The book is a true revelation. The authors style makes complicated ideas accesible and the remarkable subject matter will leave you thinking and gazing skyward in wonder. Don't pass this one up!