3rd Edition
The Mechanical Mind A Philosophical Introduction to Minds, Machines and Mental Representation
Preface to the third edition 1. Introducing the mechanical mind 2. The puzzle of representation 3. Mental representation 4. Understanding thinkers and their thoughts 5. Common-sense psychology and science 6. Computation and representation 7. Can a computer think? 8. Mechanisms of thought 9. Explaining mental representation 10. The mechanical mind and its biological basis 11. The extent of the mind 12. A non-reductive approach 13. Consciousness and the mechanical mind. Index
Biography
Tim Crane is Knightbridge Professor of Philosophy at the University of Cambridge, and a Fellow of Peterhouse, Cambridge. He is the author of The Objects of Thought, Aspects of Psychologism, Elements of Mind, the editor of The Contents of Experience, General Editor of the Routledge Encyclopedia of Philosophy, and the Philosophy Consultant Editor of the Times Literary Supplement.
"Is mind a natural machine or mechanism of some kind? The interested reader could do no better than consult this masterful work. Now in its third edition, The Mechanical Mind remains, without a doubt, the best reader-friendly introduction to core philosophical issues concerning the nature of mind and mental representation, and the role of computation and representation in the sciences of mind. It is the perfect book for all those intrigued by mind and its place in nature." - Andy Clark, University of Edinburgh, UK
Praise for previous editions:
"Terrifically useful ... It gives the best simple introduction that I know to the computational theory of the mind." - John Searle, University of California at Berkeley, USA
"Crane deploys his knowledge of the field with a deft touch. ... The writing style is refreshingly vernacular and relaxed, but not to the extent of avoiding technical discussions where these are required for understanding." - Jonathan Knowles, Minds and Machines
"Wonderful and intellectually extremely accessible ... It is the best treatment of the intentionality of the mental that I have yet come across." - David Armstrong, Pysche
"Terrific: both good philosophy and a very useful text ... Wonderful!" - Ned Block, New York University, USA
