If intelligence evolves in a body nothing like ours, what does that reveal about consciousness? In Other Minds, philosopher-diver Peter Godfrey-Smith uses close encounters at “Octopolis” to examine cephalopods as a second experiment in mind.

Octopuses and cuttlefish carry nervous systems distributed through their bodies; arms exercise local control; skin becomes a high-speed, colour-rich display. Despite brief lifespans, they learn fast, play, and improvise. Moving between field notes and crisp biology, Godfrey-Smith traces the deep split between molluscs and vertebrates to show how perception, agency, and selfhood can arise along another evolutionary path.

The result is a closely observed tour of a nearby alien. Meeting this other kind of mind clarifies what is essential—and what is contingent—in our own, reshaping debates on animal welfare, embodiment, and even machine intelligence.