How do babies think? What is it like to be a baby? Who hasn't wondered while walking the floor with an inconsolable infant, or making eye contact with a blissful gaze.In this new book, Alison Gopnik makes a case that babies are actually more thoughtful and conscious of the world than adults. Because babies must learn so quickly, they pay attention to everything and are totally "into" the world around them. They absorb like sponges without making plans or judgments or worrying if learning is relevant to some future goal or plan.
She describes the "lantern" consciousness of childhood, as opposed to the "spotlight"of adult attention, which allows us to focus on a single task, like sitting at this computer. Baby consciousness is more like the meditative state adults practice so hard to achieve even for a few minutes at a time, and they do it without the slightest effort.
I enjoyed this book, but reading about babies is no substitute for the real thing! I can hardly wait to see our little Nova again, and we're leaving for the Methow Valley soon to help Amanda and Tom prepare for their big day on October 10.
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