Descartes' Baby: How the Science of Child Development Explains What Makes Us Human

Science News, June 19, 2004

PAUL BLOOM

A clown slipping on a banana peel is funny. Baby killing is repugnant. Paint stroked on canvas is art. All but a fraction of people agree with these statements, demonstrating that humor, morality, and art are basic aspects of the normal human condition, according to Bloom. As Charles Darwin hypothesized, people have evolved their way of thinking through natural selection and some biological accidents, the author contends. What has evolved, he continues, is a human perspective along the lines of Rene Descartes' philosophy. That is, each person has two distinct ways of seeing the world: as containing objects and as containing souls. Cognitive scientist Bloom turns to children for insights to this worldview and how it's shaped by society and each person's environment. Babies are "natural-born dualists," he says. He cites numerous studies and provides myriad anecdotes showing how even infants understand the principles of physics as well as the thoughts and emotions of other people. Basic, 2004, 271 p., hardcover, $26.00.