Minds and Bodies An Introduction With Readings

Minds and Bodies: An Introduction with Readings is a concise, accessible introduction to the mind-body problem. It requires no prior philosophical knowledge and is ideally suited to those coming to philosophy and philosophy of mind for the first time. Written with the beginner in mind, Robert Wilkinson carefully introduces the reader to the major issues in the philosophy of mind: Descartes's dualist account of mind and body as separate substances; together with other types of dualism; recent monist views including functionalism and eliminativism; computer science and artificial intelligence. Each chapter is then helpfully linked to a reading from key thinkers in the field such as Descartes, John R. Searle. With the use of exercises, readers are then encouraged to think critically about the readings themselves. By the end of the book students will be able to: understand and evaluate for themselves the major options in the philosophy of mind confidently discuss some of the writings on the mind philosophers such as Descartes, John R. Searle and Thomas Nagel understand proposed solutions to the mind-body problem and the major objections to them. Key features also include activities and exercises enabling readers to monitor their progress throughout the book, chapter summaries and guides to further reading. 'The book is clearly written and keeps the reader interested. The selection of readings for detailed examination and discussion is excellent, as is the execution of the scheme of guided reading and practice in philosophical techniques. I think the book will be found not just interesting but extremely useful by near-beginners in philosophy.' - Robert Kirk, Emeritus Professor of Philosophy, University of Nottingham 'Written in a clear, unintimidating style, this book is a student-friendly introduction to the mind-body problem. Wilkinson covers the major positions and arguments in the field, but he does more than simply catalog them: he carefully guides the reader through this often difficult territory.' - David Robb, Davidson College.Wilkinson, Robert is the author of 'Minds and Bodies An Introduction With Readings' with ISBN 9780415212403 and ISBN 0415212405.