Boundaries of the Mind: The Individual in the Fragile Sciences - Cognition

ISBN-13: 9780521836456 / Angielski / Twarda / 2004 / 390 str.

Robert A. Wilson

Opis

Where does the mind begin and end? Robert Wilson establishes the foundations for the view that the mind extends beyond the boundary of the individual. He blends traditional philosophical analysis, cognitive science, and the history of psychology and the human sciences. Wilson then develops novel accounts of mental representation and consciousness, discussing a range of other issues, such as nativism and the idea of group minds. Boundaries of the Mind re-evaluates the place of the individual in the cognitive, biological and social sciences (what Wilson calls the fragile sciences) with an emphasis on cognition. The book will appeal to a broad range of professionals and students in philosophy, psychology, cognitive science, and the history of the behavioral and human sciences. Robert A. Wilson is professor of philosophy at the University of Alberta. He is author or editor of five other books, including the award-winning The MIT Encyclopedia of the Cognitive Sciences (MIT Press, 1999).

Recenzje

"Philosophy is a difficult subject, and philosophical prose is typically dense. It is often easy for a reader to lose the woods for the trees. Wilson's work is absolutely exemplary in helping the reader see the wood and the trees at the same time. Indeed, I have never read clearer philosophical prose." Kim Sterelny, Australian National University

Spis treści

Part I. Disciplining the Individual and the Mind: 1. The individual in the fragile sciences; 2. Individuals, psychology and the mind; 3. Nativism on my mind; Part II. Individualism and Externalism in the Philosophy of Mind and the Cognitive Sciences: 4. Individualism: philosophical foundations; 5. Metaphysics, mind and science: two views of realization; 6. Context-sensitive realizations; 7. Representation, computation and cognitive science; Part III. Thinking through and beyond the Body: 8. The embedded mind and cognition; 9. Expanding consciousness; 10. Intentionality and phenomenology; Part IV. The Cognitive Metaphor in the Biological and Social Sciences: 11. Group minds in historical perspective; 12. The group mind hypothesis in contemporary biology and social science; Notes; References; Index.