Philosophy of Mind: An Introduction

The following topics are discussed in depth:

• What distinguishes a physicalist conception of the mind?
• Behaviourism, the identity theory, functionalism, and eliminativism as accounts of the mental
• The nature of perception, including the issue of perceptual transparency, the admissible contents of perception, and the question of unconscious perception
• The nature of thought, including the language of thought hypothesis, Searle’s Chinese room argument, and the Turing test
• The basis of intentional content
• Externalist accounts of content and the ‘extended mind’ thesis
• Consciousness-based objections to physicalism, and illusionist and panpsychist conceptions of consciousness
• Theories of consciousness, including methodological issues in the study of consciousness
• Mental causation, including both philosophical and scientific challenges
• The problem(s) of other minds, including knowledge of non-human minds
• Self-knowledge
• Personal identity and the nature of the self

The book features a number of boxes that provide a more in-depth look at particular issues. Also included are chapter summaries, guides to further reading, and a helpful glossary of terms.

Written by a leading figure in the field, Philosophy of Mind: An Introduction is an invaluable core text for any student coming to philosophy of mind for the first time.