Jeremy Sherman, Neither Ghost Nor Machine: The Emergence and
Nature of Selves (Columbia University Press: 2017)
Reviewed for Choice Magazine by Ronald F. White
In this book Jeremy Sherman, a former student of noted philosopher/scientist Terrence Deacon, explains and expands upon Deacon’s book Incomplete Nature: How Mind Emerged from Matter (2012). While Sherman’s book is well-written and (for the most part) jargon-free, it is not suitable for students or the general public. Here are four reasons why: 1.) Sherman stipulates complex definitions for many common words; especially “selves” and “aims.” Then he addresses the nature and origins of both selves and aims, via evolutionary theory. That’s a lot. 2.) The title implies an alternative to Cartesian two-sided interactionism, often referred to as the “ghost in the machine hypothesis.” He suggests that his selves/aims model avoids the traditional mind-body problem by redefining “ghost” and “machine” in light of evolution. That’s a lot too! 3.) Much of this book also addresses the historically-puzzling concepts of teleological, teleonomic, and teleodynamics. That’s a lot. 4.) Sherman’s closing argument, attempts to carve out theoretical space for values, in a world of evolutionary facts, which is a lot and worthy of its own book. While we can all appreciate the effort behind this book, it is way too ambitious, and complex to recommend as a textbook in philosophy or evolutionary biology.
2 comments:
This is a silly and fundamentally ignorant review. No doubt this book is "a lot," but anyone with the kind of interests that would lead them to read a book on "the emergence and nature of selves" should find it eminently rewarding. No, it isn't easy, but it's remarkably clear given the complexity of the topic, and it simplifies to a remarkable degree the conceptual breakthroughs of Terrence Deacon, one of the most important thinkers of the present moment.
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