My Review of "I've Been Thinking" by Daniel C. Dennett on GoodReads

I've Been Thinking by Daniel C. Dennett
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

"I've Been Thinking" Is a memoir written by the philosopher, cognitive scientist and outspoken atheist Daniel C. Dennett.

This was a fun book, reading it felt like having a beer with a good, well-read friend, full of amusing stories and personal anecdotes. Did you know that Dennet's father was in the CIA? you didn't? sorry for the spoiler. Did you know that Dennet spent time living in Beirut in the 50's but ended up in a farm in Maine? Some people may find his stories pointless, but I enjoyed his description of life in Maine, his academic triumphs, intellectual curiosity and sharp, insightful questions.
I felt cringe when he called out "academic bullies" in the latter part of his book, it is petty to call out personal grievances with other famous authors out in public, even if some of them already
passed away. For some reason that didn't feel...classy.

I loved "Breaking the Spell" and "Intuition Pumps" but I was not able to get through his less political and more theoretical "Consciousness Explained" and "Darwin's Dangerous Ideas"
I say read this book for the journey, you won't be more enlightened in the philosophy of biology or know the nuances of what it means to have a conscious mind. You need to read his other books for that.

I recommend to read it in order to use his life as an example of a life well lived. When I am old, I, too want to be able to reminisce all the good times with my loved ones and my not-so-loved ones as well.



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