The Cradle of Thought: Exploring the Origins of Thinking

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Summary: The Forms of Relatedness That Make Us Human
Review: This is a terrific and groundbreaking book. Peter Hobson presents a radical and scientifically coherent view of the development of intersubjectivity and its relation to symbolic forms of meaning. He carefully details the developmental science that requires a fully social and sharing human child as the medium for the emergence of consciousness. In laying out his arguments he offers a comprehensive overview of the research base on early relatedness-- from face-to-face affective communication, to social referencing, to language, to theory of mind, to the evolutionary background of these human capacities. In the way that he brings together relatedness and symbolic meaning he seamlessly heals the Cartesian split between mind and body and in doing so also heals the rift between self and other that has been the conceptual error of the 20th century.
This is a paradigm shift that can unite scientists and clinicians alike. His insights anticipate the emerging findings from affective neuroscience and provide a context for understanding why and how the social brain has evolved. And he is a pleasure to read. His writing is in equal parts incisive exploration and pure poetry. I recommend it highly.