1st Edition

An Analysis of Gilbert Ryle's The Concept of Mind

By Michael O'sullivan Copyright 2017
96 Pages
by Macat Library

96 Pages
by Macat Library

96 Pages
by Macat Library

Gilbert Ryle’s 1949 The Concept of Mind is now famous above all as the origin of the phrase “the ghost in the machine” – a phrase Ryle used to attack the popular idea that our bodies and minds are separate. His own position was that mental acts are not at all distinct from bodily actions. Indeed, they are the same thing, merely described in different ways – and if one cuts through the confusing... Read more

Ways in to the text 

Who was Gilbert Ryle? 

What does The Concept of Mind Say? 

Why does The Concept of Mind Matter? 

Section 1: Influences 

Module 1: The Author and the Historical Context 

Module 2: Academic Context 

Module 3: The Problem 

Module 4: The Author's Contribution 

Section 2: Ideas 

Module 5: Main Ideas 

Module 6: Secondary Ideas 

Module 7: Achievement 

Module 8: Place in the Author's Work 

Section 3: Impact 

Module 9: The First Responses 

Module 10: The Evolving Debate 

Module 11: Impact and Influence Today 

Module 12: Where Next? 

Glossary of Terms 

People Mentioned in the Text 

Works Cited

Biography

Dr Michael O’Sullivan is a tutor in the Department of Philosophy, King’s College London. He is the editor of Wittgenstein and Perception.