1st Edition

Philosophy of Mind: The Basics

By Amy Kind Copyright 2020
180 Pages
by Routledge

180 Pages
by Routledge

180 Pages
by Routledge

Philosophy of Mind: The Basics is a concise and engaging introduction to the fundamental philosophical questions and theories about the mind. The author Amy Kind, a leading expert in the field, examines central issues concerning the nature of consciousness, thought, and emotion. The book addresses key questions such as: What is the nature of the mind? What is the relationship... Read more

1. Mind and Mentality

What is philosophy of mind?

An inventory of our mental life

How philosophers study the mind

Theories of mind: a rough overview

What lies ahead

Concluding summary

Further reading

2. Dualism

Cartesian dualism

Contemporary versions of dualism

Concluding summary

Further reading

3. Physicalism

General motivations for physicalism

Different versions of physicalism

General problems for physicalism

Concluding remarks

Further reading

4. Functionalism

The roots of functionalism

What is functionalism?

Assessing functionalism: considerations in favor

Assessing functionalism: problems

Concluding remarks

Further reading

5. Machine Minds

Animal mentality

Can machines think?

Can machines feel?

Concluding remarks

Further reading

6. The Future of the Mind

Mind extensions

Mind uploading

Mind mergers

A real-life case?

Concluding remarks

Further reading.

Glossary

Bibliography

Index

Biography

Amy Kind is Russell K. Pitzer Professor of Philosophy at Claremont McKenna College, USA. She is editor of Philosophy of Mind in the Twentieth and Twenty-First Centuries (volume six of The History of the Philosophy of Mind, Routledge 2016) and of The Routledge Handbook of Philosophy of Imagination (2016). She has also authored the introductory textbook Persons and Personal Identity (2015).

"This is an excellent book: very clear, very accessible for undergrads or even high-school students, and it manages to achieve this without dumbing down the core ideas too much. It is by far the best intro to philosophy of mind I have ever read." - Bence Nanay, University of Antwerp, Belgium