The book is intended as a reader-friendly introduction to issues in the
philosophy of mind, including mental-physical causal interaction,
computational models of thought, the relation minds bear to brains, and
assorted -isms: behaviorism, dualism, eliminativism, emergentism,
functionalism, materialism, neutral monism, and panpsychism. The Fourth
Edition reintroduces a chapter on Donald Davidson and a discussion of
'Non-Cartesian Dualism', along with a wholly new chapter on emergence
and panpsychism. A concluding chapter draws together material in earlier
chapters and offers what the author regards as a plausible account of
the mind's place in nature. Suggested readings at the conclusion of each
chapter have been updated, with a focus on accessible, non-technical
material.
Key Features of the Fourth Edition
- Includes a new chapter, 'Emergence and Panpsychism' (Chapter 13),
reflecting growing interest in these areas
- Reintroduces and updates a chapter on Donald Davidson, 'Radical
Interpretation' (Chapter 8), which was excised from the previous
edition
- Updates 'Descartes' Legacy' (Chapter 3) to include a discussion
of E. J. Lowe's arresting 'Non-Cartesian Dualism', also removed from
the previous edition
- Includes a highly revised final chapter, which draws together much of
the previous material and sketches a plausible account of the mind's
place in nature
- Updated 'Suggested Reading' lists at the end of each chapter
