Traces the evolution of the mind, from apes, Neanderthals, and human ancestors to a burst of creativity that began about fifty thousand years ago, suggesting that the mind will continue to evolve, with enhanced reasoning abilities, ethics, and other changes. Preface xiii Some Stage-setting Perspective xix When Chimpanzees Think 3(12) The way we were, 7 million years ago? Upright Posture but Ape-sized Brains 15(8) In the woodland between forest and savanna Triple Startups about 2.5 Million Years Ago 23(10) Flickering climate, toolmaking, and bigger brains Homo erectus Ate Well 33(12) Adding more meat to the diet fueled the first Out of Africa The Second Brain Boom 45(8) What kicked in, about 750,000 years ago? Neanderthals and Our Pre-sapiens Ancestors 53(8) Two-stage toolmaking and what it says about thought Homo sapiens without the Modern Mind 61(22) The big brain but not much to show for it Structured Thought Finally Appears 83(24) The curb-cut principle and emerging higher intellectual function From Africa to Everywhere 107(20) Was the still-full-of-bugs prototype what spread around the world? How Creativity Manages the Mixups 127(12) Higher intellectual function and the search for coherence Civilizing Ourselves 139(12) From planting to writing to mind medicine What's Sudden About the Mind's Big Bang? 151(10) The moderns somehow got their act together Imagining the House of Cards 161(10) Inventing new levels of organization on the fly The Future of the Augmented Mind 171(20) A combustible mixture of ignorance and power? Afterword 191(2) Recommended Reading 193(4) Notes 197(10) Index 207