our minds and others
“We have no clear definition of consciousness—even though it must be the most important element of our own experience on the planet.
Why do we fear so much in the other this thing we so little understand in ourselves?”
books that explore and grapple with the nature of human and non-human consciousness (animal, machine, or otherwise alien).
mostly science non-fiction, speculative fiction and literary fiction.
recs very much welcome :)
created by pachinko
last updated May, 2026
Comments
quote in the description is from a fictional non-fiction book within a book in The Mountain in the Sea (that i wish i could read in full!)
consciousness science is my special interest — talk nerdy to me anytime 🤠
On nom nom nom - shall be devouring this list!!! Thank you!!
pachinkoOP
lool i live to feed!! 🧑🏻🍳🧑🏻🍳
Ehem. Can we just create a tunnel between this one and my Non-Humans & Empathy list 🤭 I’m pretty sure everything here is gonna apply…no? Love it. Please tell me more. Talk conciousness to me ~ 🥰 🤤
pachinkoOP
yess i love that list of yours!! they are definitely kin, though some of these ones do focus only on humans (sadly). our special interests are so aligned 👯
I’m wondering if Tom Mustill’s How to speak whale? might fit well here? 😊
pachinkoOP
thank you for the rec!! i’m still considering whether this list will include books focused more on communication than strictly consciousness (there are a few that i’m debating) - would you say this is the case?
Yes, I was also unsure whether you’d like to focus more on the subject of consciousness or more on cognitive complexity of non-human animals. This book is about the efforts to decode animal language but it has plenty of reflections on the complexity of animal cognition and social structures, so I would say it’s more than strictly linguistics. He takes the examples of birds, dolphins and whales but also some other animals like chimpanzees if I recall correctly.
pachinkoOP
okay i’m sold! sounds fascinating. i’ve also added An Immense World by Ed Yong which explores some similar topics!
Oh amazing! This’ll go right to my tbr 😊 so excited
Love this list! The Mountain in the Sea is a fav of mine!🥳
pachinkoOP
thank you, it inspired this list!! i’m about 70% in and loving it so far :)
A whole list!! Incredible, ty for putting it together. I know he's controversial, but Martin Heidegger has an essay that feels relevant: "The Question Concerning Technology." Not necessarily advocating to be added to the list but throwing it out there in case others are interested. (It really puzzles me how someone who can write such a critical essay can also be a Nazi sympathizer 🙄).
pachinkoOP
oh interesting, thank you for sharing! i’ll definitely check that out
Would like to suggest Blood Dazzler by Patricia Smith!! It's a poetry collection about Hurricane Katrina that gives it/her a sort of consciousness and personification that is really well-done. An amazing collection and supremely underrated
pachinkoOP
ooh wow this sounds epic!! i’m not 100% sure it would fit on this list as i’m trying to keep it to books focused on consciousness itself, but i’ll definitely check it out!
