The Pre-Loved edit from Shopbop
To share your reaction on this item, open the Amazon app from the App Store or Google Play on your phone.
Add Prime to get Fast, Free delivery
Amazon prime logo
Buy new:
$31.95
FREE delivery Wednesday, January 29 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35
Ships from: Amazon
Sold by: AyZek
$31.95
Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime FREE Returns
FREE delivery Wednesday, January 29 on orders shipped by Amazon over $35. Order within 22 hrs 33 mins
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
$$31.95 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$31.95
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Ships from
Amazon
Amazon
Ships from
Amazon
Sold by
Returns
30-day refund/replacement
30-day refund/replacement
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt.
Payment
Secure transaction
Your transaction is secure
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
$9.08
May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less See less
FREE delivery January 29 - February 3. Details
Or fastest delivery January 28 - 30. Details
In stock
$$31.95 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$31.95
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.
Ships from and sold by ThriftBooks-Chicago.
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

Out of Our Minds: What We Think and How We Came to Think It Hardcover – July 2, 2019

4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 45 ratings

off. Enter code INSTAPAY10 at checkout. Discount by Amazon. Terms  off. Promo code INSTAPAY10 is saved to your account. Discount by Amazon. Terms  
{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"$31.95","priceAmount":31.95,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"31","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"95","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"Fa7fq5pDpX9HJ6L%2FFwgtBMTP50ZleI8oOm8IC5xmf7hjkBSlDuzdrTkKvhNT7Gh%2F31RUKO4MGxP1U%2Fe9sCuBzFsTvG2GMV2A5CnyA566h7popHZPx4eeZJ0BtlqSkXhCYdCve2DiqE1xgwlEhvLbpIqeykMVhkrB24e%2FSatrH9xGlOOsVpgP3GjHEJyXgafG","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}, {"displayPrice":"$9.08","priceAmount":9.08,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"9","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"08","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"Fa7fq5pDpX9HJ6L%2FFwgtBMTP50ZleI8oDmrLpA4MISWW0YSk%2BjhTSQhar5192d%2BBZF2GtFDN1CFiikGptLqxNhdHgzwBIT7rhGKGaJxsP0D2QVrBqq5LjK2YxAXvcldZEqWZDoA4yw2P2%2Bub0o9guC%2FuR0eA2%2FK8belitDNB5DjFKPqb%2Fbc%2Fww%3D%3D","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"USED","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":1}]}

Purchase options and add-ons

"A stimulating history of how the imagination interacted with its sibling psychological faculties—emotion, perception and reason—to shape the history of human mental life."—The Wall Street Journal

To imagine—to see what is not there—is the startling ability that has fueled human development and innovation through the centuries. As a species we stand alone in our remarkable capacity to refashion the world after the picture in our minds.
 
Traversing the realms of science, politics, religion, culture, philosophy, and history, Felipe Fernández-Armesto reveals the thrilling and disquieting tales of our imaginative leaps—from the first 
Homo sapiens to the present day. Through groundbreaking insights in cognitive science, Fernández-Armesto explores how and why we have ideas in the first place, providing a tantalizing glimpse into who we are and what we might yet accomplish. Unearthing historical evidence, he begins by reconstructing the thoughts of our Paleolithic ancestors to reveal the subtlety and profundity of the thinking of early humans. A masterful paean to the human imagination from a wonderfully elegant thinker, Out of Our Minds shows that bad ideas are often more influential than good ones; that the oldest recoverable thoughts include some of the best; that ideas of Western origin often issued from exchanges with the wider world; and that the pace of innovative thinking is under threat. 
The%20Amazon%20Book%20Review
The Amazon Book Review
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Opposing a lemming-like rush to despair, this scholar concludes by suggesting pluralism as paradoxically 'the one doctrine that can unite us.' How long cherished diversity resists the imperious convergence of a monoculture remains to be seen, or feared. For conformity silences our imaginations.” ― PopMatters

"Mr. Fernandez-Armesto offers a stimulating history of how the imagination interacted with its sibling psychological faculties—emotion, perception and reason⁠—to shape the history of human mental life." -- Andrew Stark, ―
Wall Street Journal

"A fascinating, and provocative, global history of ideas . . . Essential." ―
CHOICE

"Beginning with cognitive science, this global survey sweeps through leaps of thought from prehistory to today — a journey from unification to uncertainty, lit by minds such as China’s fourth-century-bc master of paradox Hui Shi and paradigm-smashing mathematician Henri Poincaré. Today, Fernández-Armesto argues, the trend is shifting as our homogenized ‘global culture’ threatens the very exchanges that spark heroic ideas." -- Barbara Kiser, ―
Nature

Out of Our Minds covers the range of human ideas, from prehistoric man’s preoccupations to artificial intelligence. But the focus is on topics like the emergence of scientific truth and democracy—themes that seem under threat today, with talk of 'fake news' and authoritarians on the march.” ― Economist

Out of Our Minds is more than a clever title. It plays with human self-importance and takes us down a peg or two. Fernández-Armesto has a love/hate relationship with our intellectual history and works out his frustrations in superb detail.” ― Sydney Morning Herald

“An outline of ideas runs the risk of being cursory — one damn intellectual after another — but [Armesto’s] easy flow from thinker to thinker, economics to ethics, microbes and their mutations to climate, means that there’s variety and interest all along the way. He’s usefully judgmental: he has a personal take on existentialism and the youth culture of the Sixties, for instance. What we get here is an urbane and civilised observer, broad in his sympathies, mildly distrustful of religion, very distrustful of certainties and enthusiastic about pluralism. You may not always agree with him, but he’s very good company.” ―
Evening Standard

"Rich in content and interpretive brio that will appeal to general readers interested in the history of ideas." ―
Middle Journal

From the Inside Flap

"Written with zing and flair, and a willingness to provoke, Out of Our Minds is a sparkling account of how imagination and ideas have shaped the strange history of Homo sapiens over more than two thousand years."&;David Christian, author of Origin Story: A Big History of Everything

"With its majestic sweep, this refreshing book covers a great many subjects with considerable authority. Felipe Fernández-Armesto is a gifted writer, guiding the reader through subtleties without failing to illustrate his complex ideas with a telling example."&;Daniel Lord Smail, author of
On Deep History and the Brain

"Brilliant and profound, 
Out of Our Minds is a masterly survey of humanity&;s unique imaginative leaps, from hominid cannibalism to our current global convergence. Fernández-Armesto is the leading practitioner of big history, and here he takes on no less than the entire span of human history. Gone are the great men, replaced instead by the ideas&;good and bad&;that have made us human. Written with his trademark panache and wry humor, this book challenges every assumption you&;ve ever had about who we are and where we came from."&;Jerry Brotton, author of A History of the World in 12 Maps

Praise for the Felipe Fernández-Armesto's previous books:

"
Our America is perhaps the first history to make the case for this nation&;s becoming a bright Latin American country. . . . The narrative moves easily from panoramic views and exemplary cases to interpretation and reflection. . . . Fernández-Armesto dutifully deals with this changing landscape, writing with detail and gusto."&;New York Times Book Review, on Our America

"Students and politicians alike could benefit from the scholarship of Fernández-Armesto. We owe him a debt of gratitude for deepening our comprehension of Hispanics in the US&;how they came to be here and how their shared narrative has shaped our nation."&;Janet Napolitano,
Wall Street Journal Book Review, on Our America

"In this readable history, Fernández-Armesto has written a book of travels not unlike those of Marco Polo, filled with marvels and sensations, rich in description and replete with anecdote.
1492 is a compendium of delights."&;The Times, London on1492

"Few scholars are as qualified as Fernández-Armesto to write a history of exploration. . . . He has the breadth of knowledge and depth of understanding necessary to do justice to so formidable a topic. The result is a brilliant and readable book.
Pathfinders is an illuminating and, at times, stirring examination of the divergence and convergence of cultures, a rich study of humankind&;s restless spirit. As intimate as Alexander the Great&;s deathbed wish and as vast as human migration, this book explains who we are as much as what we have done."&;New York Times Book Review, on Pathfinders

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ University of California Press; First Edition (July 2, 2019)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 480 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0520331079
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0520331075
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.78 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 1.1 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 45 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Felipe Fernandez-Armesto
Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read book recommendations and more.

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
45 global ratings

Review this product

Share your thoughts with other customers

Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on November 21, 2020
    Ambrose Bierce defined History as "An account, mostly false, of events, mostly unimportant, which are brought about by rulers, mostly knaves, and soldiers, mostly fools." Fernandez-Armesto takes an approach suggested by Heinrich Henie's observation that: "The men of action are, after all, only the unconscious instruments of the men of thought." This book traces the history of ideas and follows their consequences on humankind. It starts with plausible deductions about what our ancestors thought before the written word and moves through the 21st century. The law of unintended consequences tends to take center stage as the ability of humans to misinterpret ideas, or perhaps to bend them to their own selfish ends, is given suitable emphasis. He sees technology as accelerating the rate of change of new ideas but lacking an ideological signature, technology's recent wide ranging effects on health, nutrition, and communication cannot be well-catalogued in his approach. Upon completion of the work, readers may find reasons to agree with AJP Taylor's mixed view of progress: Human blunders usually do more to shape history than human wickedness. It is well-written, thought provoking and well worth the read.
    10 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on October 11, 2019
    An excellent review of the progress of human thinking with support that ancient humans were just as smart as we are but had less access to information. Pretty extensive research quoted. Some drift into philosophy but overall a superb read.
    5 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on November 18, 2019
    I found this book to be a tough read, but worth every second. There were so many ideas and concepts exploding off the page, it was almost overwhelming. The author's breadth of knowledge is humbling.
    3 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on September 18, 2019
    Excellent content, good print.
    One person found this helpful
    Report

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English
  • Saulo Artur
    5.0 out of 5 stars Tudo certo.
    Reviewed in Brazil on December 18, 2021
    Tudo certo, ótimo produto, entregua rápido e preço sensacional. 👌👏👏
  • Achraf T.
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great book on the history of ideas
    Reviewed in France on October 8, 2021
    Books that are able to juggle with ideas from various disciplines such as history, philosophy, science, politics, religion, anthropology etc... are rare. This one is really good
  • dominic
    3.0 out of 5 stars Interesting in parts
    Reviewed in India on September 24, 2019
    Interesting in parts but marred by considerable repetition. In the history of ideas, there are better.
  • paulw
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 26, 2019
    Wide ranging, both temporally and spatially, rarely have I encountered so many interesting points to ponder. At the same time a balanced approach is preserved.
  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars what a book
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 22, 2019
    A must read for all who are interested in the development of thought and what may be the limits to human thought