Consciousness: Theories in Neuroscience and Philosophy of Mind

ISBN-13: 9783662510124 / Angielski / Miękka / 2016 / 203 str.

Andrea Eugenio Cavanna; Andrea Nani

Opis

This book reviews some of the most important scientific and philosophical theories concerning the nature of mind and consciousness.

Recenzje

"For any reader wanting to find out how the philosophical debates between dualistic and identity theories and a variety of intermediate positions have unfolded over the last decades ... this book is a perfect starting point. ... This book makes clear that there is a great deal of opportunity for philosophers, neuroscientists and clinicians to learn from each other when discussing disorders of consciousness, dissociative states or the alterations of qualia ... associated with synaesthesia or hallucinatory experiences." (David E. J. Linden, Cognitive Neuropsychiatry, Vol. 20 (5), 2015)

Spis treści

Part 1. Philosophical Theories of Consciousness: David Chalmers.- Paul and Patricia Churchland.- Tim Crane.- Donald Davidson.- Daniel Dennett.- René Descartes.- Jerry Fodor.- Jaegwon Kim.- William Lycan.- Collin McGinn.- Thomas Nagel.- Alva Noë.- Hilary Putnam.- David Rosenthal.- John Searle.- Part 2. Scientific Theories of Consciousness: Bernard Baars.- Francis Crick and Christof Koch.- Antonio Damasio.- Stanislas Dehaene.- Merlin Donald.- John Eccles and Karl Popper.- Gerald Edelman.- Nicholas Humphrey.- Julian Jaynes.- Benjamin Libet.- John Kevin O'Regan.- Roger Penrose and Stuart Hameroff.- Giulio Tononi.- Max Velmans.- Semir Zeki.

Blurb

This book aims to depict a wide landscape by reviewing some of the most important scientific and philosophical theories concerning the nature of mind and consciousness. Current theories on the mind-body problem and the neural correlates of consciousness are presented through a series of biographical sketches of the most influential thinkers across the fields of philosophy of mind, psychology, and neuroscience.

The book is divided into two parts: Part 1 is dedicated to philosophers of mind, whereas Part 2 encompasses neuroscientists and experimental psychologists. Each part comprises fifteen short chapters, with each chapter being dedicated to one author. A brief introduction is given on his or her life and most important works, with explanation of influences and of the impact that the ideas contained in these works had on the communities of psychologists, neuroscientists, and philosophers of the time. The most influential theory/ies developed by each author are then explained and examined, with the aim of analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of the different approaches to the nature of consciousness. An annotated list of essential references concludes each chapter.