by Randy James

Sure, they may while away their days eating, sleeping and soiling diapers. But Alison Gopnik says it's high time that babies got some respect. In her new book, The Philosophical Baby, the University of California, Berkeley, psychologist says modern research is revolutionizing our understanding of the first years of life, revealing early childhood to be a frenzied period of intellectual, emotional and moral development. "Any child will put the most productive scientist to shame," she writes. Gopnik spoke with TIME about the origins of creativity, the "boondoggle" of educational toys and discerning right and wrong during this uniquely fertile period of life.

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Babies, says the author, "are the R&D department of the human species."

Does all these mean we are going to be more careful about what we say and do around babies?

I don't remember one moment, consciously, of my infancy. However, I watch my grandchildren grow and I know that memories are being formed, lessons learned, and bonds formed.

Without the language to express and categorize these experiences of learning, the lingering memories may be somewhat vague, but no less real.

Babies are people. Perhaps they can teach us as we observe them learn.

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Pretty cute!