The Philosophical Baby: What Children’s Minds Tell Us about Truth, Love, and the Meaning of Life by Alison Gopnik

So, babies are actually smarter than us, they can shed new light on ancient philosophical problems, and the development of their imagination is no less than a basic survival skill. (We’re definitely reading this one.)

“Most parents want to believe their children are brilliant. But how much do babies really understand about the world around them? In her provocative new book The Philosophical Baby, Alison Gopnik, a developmental psychologist at the University of California, Berkeley, asserts that babies and young children are in some ways “actually smarter, more imaginative, more caring, and even more conscious than adults are.” Scientific American MIND Reviews by Jascha Hoffman

“Gopnik does, however, make the bold suggestion that thinking about small children can shed new light on ancient philosophical problems. Whether or not this is true, her account of what the science of recent decades has had to say about infants’ minds tells a fascinating story of how we become the grown-ups that we are. “ NYTimes Review by Anthony Gottlieb

“Gopnik speculates that early childhood prepares us for both the appreciation and creation of art: imaginary play among children hones the ability to entertain counterfactuals—the alternative worlds out of which art, and invention of any sort, are primarily made. It requires discipline to stay in the imaginary role one has assumed, to project psychologically what it means to be a mother, a firefighter, a soldier, a prisoner. If it doesn’t feel real, the game falls apart. Imaginary play is a rehearsal for understanding the minds and intentions of others, a basic survival skill.” The New York Review of Books By Michael Greenberg.

Available at Amazon.com

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