Philosophy of Mind: A Comprehensive Introduction

About this book

PHILOSOPHY of MIND Philosophy of mind is an incredibly active field thanks in part to the recent explosion of work in the sciences of the mind. Jaworskis book is a well-written comprehensive and sophisticated primer on all the live positions on the mindbody problem including various kinds of physicalism emergentism and his own favorite hylomorphism. This is a serious and responsible book for philosophy students philosophers and mind scientists who want to understand where they stand philosophically. Owen Flanagan Duke University Philosophy of Mind introduces readers to one of the liveliest fields in contemporary philosophy by discussing mindbody problems and the range of solutions to them: varieties of substance dualism physicalism dual-attribute theory neutral monism idealism and hylomorphism. It treats each position fairly in greater depth and detail than competing texts and is written throughout in a clear accessible style that is easy to read free of technical jargon and presupposes no prior knowledge of philosophy of mind. The result is a balanced overview of the entire field that enables students and instructors to grasp the essential arguments and jump immediately into current debates. William Jaworski discusses the impact of neuroscience biology psychology and cognitive science on mindbody debates. Bibliographic essays at the end of each chapter bring readers up to speed on the latest literature and allow the text to be used in conjunction with primary sources. Numerous diagrams and illustrations help newcomers grasp the more complex ideas and chapters on free will and the philosophy of persons make the book a flexible teaching tool for general philosophy courses in addition to courses in philosophy of mind.