[F]ascinating argument for a “hidden connectedness of all minds,” from primitive bacteria to AI–enhanced human intelligence. . . . [Ogas and Gaddam’s] descriptive language is sharp and engaging, and the easy-to-understand illustrations demonstrate the concepts underpinning evolving conscious experience, such as a bacteria’s interaction with the environment, the amoeba mind becoming aware of itself, and birdsong demonstrating culture. . . . Ogas and Gaddam imbue every detail with awe and enthusiasm, a reminder to readers that the very science underpinning their theories is only possible because of the wondrous machinations of the human mind itself, a mind that likely has not reached its apotheosis.

This extraordinary masterpiece serves up first principles that carve consciousness at its joints. Journey of the Mind is a page-turner that helps us understand the incomparable work of one of the most brilliant of all neuroscientists. This is the book I would take with me if stranded on a desert island.

Every page of Journey of the Mind is packed with fascinating insight. This is a brilliant book that will change the way you think about thinking.

This enthralling book charts a quantum leap from the prebiotic universe to sentience and selfhood. This leap is unpacked carefully and convincingly by taking us through the phylogeny of sentient behaviour – from brawny brainless cells through to chimpanzees awestruck by the beauty of waterfalls. The authors manage to do this in a way that reveals simple truths that demystify consciousness without detracting from its majesty. The dénouement is no less than three laws of consciousness, underwritten by the seminal work of Stephen Grossberg on resonance and emergentism in the brain. This is an accessible, eclectic and enlightening book that – once read – is difficult to stop thinking about.

An engaging and surprisingly accessible account of matter's journey to mind. This deceptively simple and scientifically grounded account nonetheless ventures all the way up the ladder of chaos to the rich possibilities for our collective supermind. An encouragingly optimistic reminder of how our shared experience and common understanding of reality far surpass our superficial differences.

Journey of the Mind explains a lot about the brain and its evolution, especially stuff that should interest the general reader––like the physical basis of consciousness, language, and the Self. Moreover, the explanations are in plain, accessible language without technical abbreviations that make most neuroscience reading so unpleasant. The ideas are embodied in simple, clean figures, and the chapters are introduced with wonderful, imaginative drawings, plus engaging epigraphs that are literally, and pleasingly, all over the map. The book is rich in illustrative stories from the origin of life to the evolution of Homo sapiens––to the murder of George Floyd––a daring book and an absorbing read.

What Sapiens did for our understanding of the evolution of the human race, Journey of the Mind has done for the evolution of complex thought and consciousness itself. Ogi and Sai deftly convert sophisticated ideas and concepts into accessible and compelling language that reads like a thriller, unravelling the mystery of how thinking went from a single-celled organism with a handful of light sensors and flagella to the magnificence of the human mind.

This book is stunning in its range and reach. This bold book offers a strong point of view and backs it up with intriguing, well-reasoned hypotheses and an enormous amount of fascinating information. Whether or not you agree with their views, you will be led to think about the material in interesting ways and will be led to appreciate the marvelous power, complexity, and beauty of the mind.

Journey of the Mind is a mind-bending voyage of discovery that will transport its many readers into realms of wondrous revelation. I found that this thrilling book penetrates many of the most puzzling mysteries of our conscious experience.

First there was the soul, followed by the mind and now the brain, all in the framework of humans. Is this the right direction of or reasoning and is there something we can learn from other animals? This book takes the reader by the hand and explains the Bauplan of cognition from simple to complex neuronal networks from the mind of archaea to that of humans. An enjoyable read, peppered with stories and enhanced by wonderful illustrations.

This book chronicles the evolution of Mind from its inception four billion years ago on that blue spinning ball called Earth. Using precise principles of mathematical modeling it describes the assembly of conceptual models for biological structures of increasing complexity, and explains their significance for function and behavior of real biological creatures. This is the first book to lay out “the Great Chain of Being” in such systematic detail. Its breezy, informal style makes it an entertaining introduction to the subject for all mature readers. It profiles the entire history of mind to the emergence of consciousness and the invention of Sapient culture –– peppered with insights into problems of race and society and informed with telling anecdotes. This whole story of mind and brain function is grounded in a prodigious mathematical theory created by Stephen Grossberg over more than a half century. As a study guide for the serious student the present book offers an extensive collection of Endnotes and References. Enjoy the Journey!

One of the great failings of many AI and neural net publications is the knee-jerk tendency to label any progress as modeling the “human mind.” Ogi and Gaddam neatly sidestep this problem by organizing their book along a hierarchy of increasingly complex minds, and in so doing, remind us that even the simplest creatures exhibit sophisticated neurodynamics which, properly studied, can spark better understanding of many still-open questions. Moreover, they provide a delightful, accessible introduction to research by one of the field’s most prolific contributors, Stephen Grossberg. The personal and intellectual story of Grossberg’s remarkable path and seminal contributions is a fascinating contribution to the history of science.

A romp through the evolutionary landscape of the mind using the prism of Grossberg/Carpenter Adaptive Resonance Theory. A lively trip worth taking!

What a whirlwind intellectual tour! Covering a billion years of evolution, Journey of the Mind tells a compelling story of how mindless cellular organizations were shaped by evolution into full-blown minds capable of figuring out how, what, where, when, and why. In the process, consciousness sprang forth, with the richness of language and the creation of civilization itself. This richly illustrated, sprawling account builds heavily on the insights of Steve Grossberg and his colleagues to build a fascinating portrait of brains and minds

No one can accuse Ogas and Gaddam of lacking literary courage. After taking on the internet in A Billion Wicked Thoughts, they now examine the phylogeny of the mind. In an intellectual tour de force they offer an imaginative tale of who we are and how we came to be that will keep you reading into the wee hours until the last page.