Synopsis
Psychologist, philosopher, and mother Alison Gopnick convincingly argues that we have at least as much to learn from babies about how to behave as they have from us. Gopnick reports that, as people grow older, we tend to replace the wonder and mystery which defines our early interaction with the world with memory and assurance, mental elements which are proven to deceive as much as they reveal. Babies are continually conducting surprisingly complex scientific experiments and, unlike adults, they remain constantly open to the possibilities of perceptual learning, which enhances their chances for discovery and excitement. Gopnick believes that babies also have a higher level of emotional purity than adults, whose feelings are inherently diluted by similar experiences and ulterior motivations. Thus, while it is often put forth that nothing is more powerful than a mother's love for her child, Gopnick presents the intriguing possibility that a baby's love for its mother poses a worthy challenge.
| Details | | Publication Date: | 2009-08-04 |
| Size | | Length: | 288 pages | | Height: | 8.8 in | | Width: | 5.8 in | | Thickness: | 1.2 in | | Weight: | 16.0 oz |
Publisher's Note
A revelatory examination of how babies and young children think draws on new scientific understandings to identify links between key behaviors and subsequent abilities, explaining how the latest findings offer profound insight into the nature of being human.
Industry Reviews
"[Gopnick] makes 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."
(08/09/2009)
"One of the most prominent researchers in the field, Gopnik is also one of the finest writers, with a special gift for relating scientific research to the questions that parents and others most want answered. This is where to go if you want to get into the head of a baby."
(08/10/2009)
"Gopnik incisively and compassionately highlights the extraordinary range of mental capabilities of even the youngest child. What makes [her] book stand out from the myriad recent books on consciousness is her overarching insight into the sophisticated ways that even infants think and scheme. Citing her work and that of colleagues, Gopnik makes a convincing case that, from a very early age, even before the acquisition of language, we are actively engaged in assessing everything from statistics (probabilities) to right vs. wrong in a moral sphere."
(08/13/2009)
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