From Bacteria to Bach and Back

The late synthesis of Dennett's lifetime project. How do minds and culture build themselves from below, without a designer? Dennett traces the arc from the simplest self-replicating molecules through biological evolution to cultural evolution, memes, language, and human consciousness — arguing that the same fundamental logic of "competence without comprehension" operates at every level. The book draws together threads from all his previous work and engages directly with contemporary debates about artificial intelligence, making it unexpectedly relevant to current AI discourse. Written at seventy-four, it has the feel of a summa — ambitious, occasionally sprawling, but intellectually generous. For readers already familiar with Dennett, it is the capstone; for newcomers, it is a viable entry point that gives the full shape of the argument.