What a fascinating book Sy Montgomery's The Soul of an Octopus - A Surprising Exploration into the Wonder of Consciousness (#804) is! It's not quite a straight nature book, (even though she makes octopuses downright appealing!), and it's not a dry text on philosophy either, but rather an amalgam of the two as she meditates on the souls and personalities of the octopuses she's met.
After reading Ms. Montgomery's book even the most skeptical of critics would have to concede that the creatures profiled here do, indeed, have distinct and separate personalities. Most of her encounters took place at the New England Aquarium in Boston, a place familiar to me from my days of student teaching there. Octavia and Kali, Karma and Athena all come to life on the pages and in photos. Their ability to camouflage themselves in changing color displays, their skills as escape artists and their intelligence in solving puzzles are all so interesting that I know the next time I visit an aquarium with octopuses on display, I will be spending a lot more time in front of their tanks.
But the bond Ms. Montgomery formed with these sea creatures led her to wonder what they think of us; how do they perceive us? Can they tell through their chemo receptors what we are feeling emotionally or physically? Her observations have led her to believe that they do, on some level. That in fact, they may have more in common with us than previously believed, especially considering their appearance in many cultures' ancient mythology. It's certainly worth pondering.
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