Philosophy of Psychology: Contemporary Readings
Preview
Book Description
Philosophy of Psychology: Contemporary Readings is a comprehensive anthology that includes classic and contemporary readings from leading philosophers. Addressing in depth the major topics within philosophy of psychology, the editor has carefully selected articles under the following headings:
- pictures of the mind
- commonsense psychology
- representation and cognitive architecture.
Articles by the following philosophers are included: Blackburn, Churchland, Clark, Cummins, Dennett, Davidson, Fodor, Kitcher, Lewis, Lycan, McDowell, McLeod, Rey, Segal, Stich.
Each section includes a helpful introduction by the editor which aims to guide the student gently into the topic. The book is highly accessible and provides a broad-ranging exploration of the subject, including discussion of the leading philosophers in the field. Ideal for any student of philosophy of psychology or philosophy of mind.
Table of Contents
Section 1: Pictures of the Mind 1a. The Autonomous Mind 1b. The Functional Mind 1c. The Representational Mind 1d. The Neurocomputational Mind Section 2: Common-Sense Psychology 2a. Commonsense Psychology and Psychological Explanation 2b. How Should we think about Commonsense Psychology Section 3: Representation and Cognitive Architecture 3a. Computational Models of Early Vision 3b. Connectionism, Classicism and Cognitive Architecture 3c. Conceptions of Modularity 3d. Tacit Knowledge 3e. Radical Alternatives
Editor(s)
Biography
José Luis Bermúdez is Professor of Philosophy and Director of the Philosophy-Neuroscience-Psychology Program at Washington University in St Louis, USA. He is a series editor of the International Library of Philosophy (Routledge) and author of The Paradox of Self-Consciousness (1998) and Thinking without Words (2003).
Reviews
'This is not metaphysics passed off as science. This is not psychology posing as philosophy. This really is a book about the philosophical problems encountered in psychology. Bermudez has found a highly enlightening way to taxonomize the issues, and he has put together a unique collection of papers illustrating the various types. The disagreements stand out clearly, so that students and their teachers alike will be provoked into taking sides.' - Christopher Gauker, University of Cincinnati, USA
'This is a cleverly constructed reader that contains essential work from the most important philosophers of psychology of the last three decades. It is the ideal core reader for any course on the philosophy of psychology.' - Tony Stone, London South Bank University, UK