The Philosophical Baby: Alison Gopnik

For most of us, having a baby is the most profound, intense, and fascinating experience of our lives. Now scientists and philosophers are starting to appreciate babies, too. The last decade has witnessed a revolution in our understanding of infants and young children. Scientists used to believe that babies were irrational, and that their thinking and experience were limited. Recently, they have discovered that babies learn more, create more, care more, and experience more than we could ever have imagined. And there is good reason to believe that babies are actually smarter, more thoughtful, and even more conscious than adults.

This new science holds answers to some of the deepest and oldest questions about what it means to be human. A new baby’s captivated gaze at her mother’s face lays the foundations for love and morality. A toddler’s unstoppable explorations of his playpen hold the key to scientific discovery. A three-year-old’s wild make-believe explains how we can imagine the future, write novels, and invent new technologies. Alison Gopnik—a leading psychologist and philosopher, as well as a mother—explains the groundbreaking new psychological, neuroscientific, and philosophical developments in our understanding of very young children, transforming our understanding of how babies see the world, and in turn promoting a deeper appreciation for the role of parents.

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[nellie2581]

Great. I know a bit about that. Because I remember being a baby and being loved, vividly.

[MrProsperousguardian]

have you read the book? It should explain that explicitly well. The clues that babies gather is based on if they use cognitive maps or causal maps. The contingency and their ability to determine factored situations also can help. Counterfactual thinking is the base of their pretend play, the way the mimic and anticipate is what classifies them as children.

[fineasfrog]

Part of my question is: "What might be the nature of this "non-specific" intelligence that apparently has no idea about space and time yet that has the abiltiy to narrow itself down into a specific identity through the "unfoldment" through a baby to adult?

[fineasfrog]

What if there is that which neither voluntarily nor involuntarily gathers about itself the conditions and substance needed to be born into conditions so radical that this 'original intelligence' mainly loses contact with itself? Are there any clues in babies that they are both further from this and closer to this than adults? Are there any clues in babies that might be pointing to this strange intelligence that gives rise to the separate human mind but may not itself be separate?