Descartes' Baby: How the Science of Child Development Explains What Makes Us Human

New
Paperback
2005
$29.64

All humans see the world in two fundamentally different ways: even babies have a rich understanding of both the physical and social worlds. They expect objects to obey principles of physics, and they're startled when things disappear or defy gravity. Yet they can also read emotions and respond with anger, sympathy, and joy.In Descartes' Baby , Bloom draws on a wealth of scientific discoveries to show how these two ways of knowing give rise to such uniquely human traits as humour, disgust, religion, art, and morality. How our dualist perspective, developed throughout our lives, profoundly influences our thoughts, feelings, and actions is the subject of this richly rewarding book.

Synopsis

All humans see the world in two fundamentally different ways: even babies have a rich understanding of both the physical and social worlds. They expect objects to obey principles of physics, and they're startled when things disappear or defy gravity. Yet they can also read emotions and respond with anger, sympathy, and joy.In Descartes' Baby , Bloom draws on a wealth of scientific discoveries to show how these two ways of knowing give rise to such uniquely human traits as humour, disgust, religion, art, and morality. How our dualist perspective, developed throughout our lives, profoundly influences our thoughts, feelings, and actions is the subject of this richly rewarding book.

$29.64

Quantity

20+ in stock

More Information

Format: Paperback
Pages: 288
Edition: export ed
Publisher: Basic Books
Published: 06 Apr 2005
ISBN 10: 0465007864
ISBN 13: 9780465007868

Media Reviews

Paul Bloom is an excellent ambassador for cognitive developmental psychology.... Descartes' Baby incorporates the most recent and provocative theoretical ideas in cognitive science. American Scientist [Bloom's] prose abounds with lively examples from conceptual art, contemporary fiction and his own child-rearing observations. The result is a delightful and humane study that makes rewarding reading for those interested in cognitive psychology's broader implications. Publishers Weekly

Author Bio

Paul Bloom is Professor of Psychology at Yale University. His book How Children Learn the Meaning of Words won the Award for Excellence from the Association of American Publishers. He lives in New Haven, Connecticut.