Peter Godfrey-Smith

Peter Godfrey-Smith is a professor in the School of History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Sydney and Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at the Graduate Center, CUNY. He is the author of several acclaimed books, including "Other Minds: The Octopus and the Evolution of Intelligent Life," a bestselling work shortlisted for the 2017 Royal Society Science Book Prize and translated into over twenty languages. His other notable publications include "Metazoa," "Theory and Reality: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Science," and "Darwinian Populations and Natural Selection," which won the 2010 Lakatos Award for outstanding contributions to the philosophy of science.

Godfrey-Smith specializes in the philosophy of biology and the philosophy of mind, with additional research interests in pragmatism, general philosophy of science, and epistemology. Educated at the University of Sydney and UC San Diego, he has held academic positions at Stanford University, Harvard University, and the Australian National University. His work often explores the intersection of evolutionary biology and cognitive science, as exemplified in his writings on animal intelligence and the nature of consciousness.

Beyond his academic contributions, Godfrey-Smith's photography and videography have been featured in prominent publications such as the "New York Times" and "National Geographic." His multidisciplinary approach bridges scientific inquiry with philosophical reflection, establishing him as a leading voice in contemporary discussions on the evolution of intelligence and the natural world.
Non-Fiction Books
# Title Year
1 Complexity and the Function of Mind in Nature 1998
2 Darwinian Populations and Natural Selection 2009
3 Philosophy of Biology 2013
4 Other Minds: The Octopus, the Sea, and the Deep Origins of Consciousness 2016
5 Metazoa: Animal Life and the Birth of the Mind 2020
6 Living on Earth 2024
Science and Its Conceptual Foundations Books
# Title Year
1 The Great Devonian Controversy (By: Martin J.S. Rudwick) 1985
2 Images of science (By: Paul M. Churchland) 1985
3 The Shaky Game (By: Arthur Fine) 1986
4 Darwin and the Emergence of Evolutionary Theories of Mind and Behavior (By: Robert J. Richards) 1987
5 From Mineralogy to Geology (By: Rachel Laudan) 1987
6 Science As a Process (By: David L. Hull) 1988
7 Explaining Science (By: Ronald N. Giere) 1988
8 The Highlands Controversy (By: David Oldroyd) 1990
9 Science and Relativism (By: Larry Laudan) 1990
10 Reading the Shape of Nature (By: Mary P. Winsor) 1991
11 The State of Nature (By: Gregg Mitman) 1992
12 Descartes' Metaphysical Physics (By: Daniel Garber) 1992
13 The Meaning of Evolution (By: Robert J. Richards) 1992
14 The Politics of Evolution, Morphology, Medicine, and Reform in Radical London (By: Adrian J. Desmond) 1992
15 Economics--Mathematical Politics or Science of Diminishing Returns? (By: Alex Rosenberg) 1992
16 Galileo, Courtier (By: Mario Biagioli) 1993
17 Styles of Scientific Thought (By: Jonathan Harwood) 1993
18 In the Wake of Chaos (By: Stephen H. Kellert) 1993
19 Berkeley's Philosophy of Mathematics (By: Douglas M. Jesseph) 1993
20 A Social History of Truth (By: Steven Shapin) 1994
21 Discovery and Explanation in Biology and Medicine (By: Kenneth F. Schaffner) 1994
22 Durkheim's Philosophy of Science and the Sociology of Knowledge: Creating an Intellectual Niche (By: Warren Schmaus) 1994
23 Instrumental Biology, or The Disunity of Science (By: Alex Rosenberg) 1994
24 Quantum Mechanics (By: James T. Cushing) 1994
25 The Diffident Naturalist (By: Rose-Mary Sargent) 1995
26 Biology Takes Form (By: Lynn K. Nyhart) 1995
27 Modeling Nature (By: Sharon E. Kingsland) 1995
28 What Emotions Really Are (By: Paul E. Griffiths) 1997
29 Sex and Death (By: Kim Sterelny, Paul E. Griffiths) 1999
30 Squaring the Circle (By: Douglas M. Jesseph) 2000
31 Quantum Dialogue (By: Mara Beller) 2001
32 Reconciling Science and Religion (By: Peter J. Bowler) 2001
33 The Romantic Conception of Life (By: Robert J. Richards) 2002
34 Theory and Reality 2003