Mind and body / Robert Kirk.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Kirk, Robert, 1933- author.

Series:

Central problems of philosophy.

Central problems of philosophy

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Materialism.

Mind and body--Philosophy.

Mind and body.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (200 pages) : digital, PDF file(s).

Edition:

1st ed.

Other Title:

Mind & Body

Place of Publication:

Durham : Acumen Publishing, 2003.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

A great deal of work in philosophy today is concerned with some aspect of the complex tangle of problems and puzzles roughly labelled the mind-body problem. This book is an introduction to it. It is a readable, lucid and accessible guide that provides readers with authoritative exposition, and a solid and reliable framework which can be built on as needed. The first chapter briefly introduces the subject and moves on to discuss mechanism – the idea that minds are machines – focusing on Searle's Chinese Room argument. The next three chapters discuss dualism, physicalism, and some hard problems for physicalism, especially those concerning phenomenal consciousness. Chapters on behaviourism and functionalism follow. The central mind-body topics are then each given deeper consideration in separate chapters. Intentionality is investigated via Fodor's doctrine of the Language of Thought, taking account of connectionism. The main theories of consciousness are examined and the author's own approach outlined. The concluding chapter briefly resumes the theme of psychological explanation, linking it to further topics. Each chapter ends with a summary of the main points together with suggestions for further reading.

Contents:

Cover; Half Title; Title Page; Copyright Page; Table of Contents; Preface; 1 Introduction: are we just machines?; 2 Is there something extra?; 3 Physicalism; 4 Some objections to physicalism; 5 Behaviourism; 6 Functionalism; 7 More about thinking; 8 More about feeling; 9 Conclusion; Websites; References; Index

Notes:

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 02 Oct 2015).

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on metadata supplied by the publisher and other sources.

ISBN:

1-317-48925-X

1-317-48926-8

1-315-71054-4

1-282-92150-9

9786612921506

1-84465-349-8

9781315710549

OCLC:

898771118