Philosophy: Philosophy of Mind

Nothing in the universe is more mysterious than the inner workings of the human mind. But philosophy provides poerful tools for investigating the mysteries of thinking, feeling, and perceiving. As Professor Patrick Grim points out philosophers address the hardest questions of all: those that are unanswered and those that we aren't sure how to answer. In the scientific search for the mind, philosophy sharpens our concepts, untangles the morass of questions, and explores alternative approaches to this intriguing topics.

St. Thomas Aquinas is well-represented here, as are such topics as the vis cogitativa, the role of faith in knowledge, and the restless need for any explanation.

The Philosophy of Mind remains the only sourcebook of primary readings offering in-depth coverage of both historical works and contemporary controversies in philosophy of mind.

From Plato and Leibniz to externalism and the frame problem, from Husserl to neural Darwinism, from mental causation to the problem of consciousness, this guide outlines the main positions, key figures, important terms, and longstanding debates of the philosophy of mind.

In this accessible introduciton to one of the fastest growing areas in contemporary philosophy, Edward Feser outlines all the main areas of debate and assesses the most important theories and thinkers, from Descartes and dualism to Searle and the Chinese Room experiment.

Philosophy of Mind: A Contemporary Introduction is a comprehensive and accessible survey of main themes, positions and debates in philosophy of mind. John Heil introduces and discusses the major topics in succinct, user-friendly, self-contained chapters.

This book differs from others by rejecting the dualist approach associated in particular with Descartes. It also casts serious doubt on the forms of materialism that now dominate English language philosophy.