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Also by Alison Gopnik:

The Philosophical Baby, August 2009
Hardcover
The Scientist in the Crib, January 2001
Trade Size (reprint)

THE PHILOSOPHICAL BABY
By: Alison Gopnik

What Children's Minds Tell Us About Truth, Love, And The Meaning Of Life

Farrar, Straus and Giroux
August 2009
On Sale: August 4, 2009
304 pages
ISBN: 0374231966
EAN: 9780374231965
Hardcover
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Non-Fiction

How do babies think? What is it like to be a baby? How much do our experiences as children shape our adult lives? In the last decade there has been a revolution in our understanding of the minds of infants and young children. We used to believe that babies were irrational, and that their thinking and experience were limited. Now Alison Gopnik—a leading psychologist and philosopher, as well as a mother—explains the cutting-edge scientific and psychological research that has revealed 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 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.

Media Buzz

Charlie Rose - October 27, 2009
Colbert Report - October 7, 2009