The Dawn of Reason; or, Mental Traits in the Lower Animals

"The Dawn of Reason; or, Mental Traits in the Lower Animals" by James Weir, explores the surprising mental lives of animals to show how their awareness, feelings, and natural behaviors reveal the roots of thinking itself. Weir, a doctor, kicks things off by explaining how minds work as a product of nerve activity to help us differentiate between doing something without thinking versus being fully aware of the implications. The book introduces a world where even simple creatures, like jellyfish, make decisions and change their behavior to fit their surroundings, implying that the building blocks of consciousness are more ancient and widespread than one might think. By carefully looking at the bodies, functions, and minds of various animals, this book strives to connect psychology, biology, and evolution, proposing that studying animals is imperative to truly understand where human intelligence comes from.