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Mind: A Brief Introduction (Fundamentals of Philosophy Series)
by John R. Searle"The philosophy of mind is unique among contemporary philosophical subjects," writes John Searle, "in that all of the most famous and influential theories are false." One of the world's most eminent thinkers, Searle dismantles these theories as he presents a vividly written, comprehensive introduction to the mind. He begins with a look at the twelve problems of philosophy of mind--which he calls "Descartes and Other Disasters"--problems which he returns to throughout the volume, as he illuminates such topics as materialism, consciousness, the mind-body problem, intentionality, mental causation, free will, and the self. The book offers a refreshingly direct and engaging introduction to one of the most intriguing areas of philosophy.
Mind and Cosmos: Why the Materialist Neo-Darwinian Conception of Nature Is Almost Certainly False
by Thomas NagelThe modern materialist approach to life has conspicuously failed to explain such central mind-related features of our world as consciousness, intentionality, meaning, and value. This failure to account for something so integral to nature as mind, argues philosopher Thomas Nagel, is a major problem, threatening to unravel the entire naturalistic world picture, extending to biology, evolutionary theory, and cosmology. Since minds are features of biological systems that have developed through evolution, the standard materialist version of evolutionary biology is fundamentally incomplete. And the cosmological history that led to the origin of life and the coming into existence of the conditions for evolution cannot be a merely materialist history, either. An adequate conception of nature would have to explain the appearance in the universe of materially irreducible conscious minds, as such. Nagel's skepticism is not based on religious belief or on a belief in any definite alternative. In Mind and Cosmos, he does suggest that if the materialist account is wrong, then principles of a different kind may also be at work in the history of nature, principles of the growth of order that are in their logical form teleological rather than mechanistic. In spite of the great achievements of the physical sciences, reductive materialism is a world view ripe for displacement. Nagel shows that to recognize its limits is the first step in looking for alternatives, or at least in being open to their possibility.
Mind and Cosmos: Why the Materialist Neo-Darwinian Conception of Nature Is Almost Certainly False
by Thomas NagelThe modern materialist approach to life has conspicuously failed to explain such central mind-related features of our world as consciousness, intentionality, meaning, and value. This failure to account for something so integral to nature as mind, argues philosopher Thomas Nagel, is a major problem, threatening to unravel the entire naturalistic world picture, extending to biology, evolutionary theory, and cosmology. Since minds are features of biological systems that have developed through evolution, the standard materialist version of evolutionary biology is fundamentally incomplete. And the cosmological history that led to the origin of life and the coming into existence of the conditions for evolution cannot be a merely materialist history, either. An adequate conception of nature would have to explain the appearance in the universe of materially irreducible conscious minds, as such. Nagel's skepticism is not based on religious belief or on a belief in any definite alternative. In Mind and Cosmos, he does suggest that if the materialist account is wrong, then principles of a different kind may also be at work in the history of nature, principles of the growth of order that are in their logical form teleological rather than mechanistic. In spite of the great achievements of the physical sciences, reductive materialism is a world view ripe for displacement. Nagel shows that to recognize its limits is the first step in looking for alternatives, or at least in being open to their possibility.
Mind and Machine (Palgrave Philosophy Today)
by J. WalmsleyWalmsley offers a succinct introduction to major philosophical issues in artificial intelligence for advanced students of philosophy of mind, cognitive science and psychology. Whilst covering essential topics, it also provides the student with the chance to engage with cutting edge debates.
Mind and Matter: Panpsychism, Dual-aspect Monism, And The Combination Problem (SpringerBriefs in Philosophy)
by Jiri BenovskyIn this book, the author takes a stand for a variant of panpsychism as being the best solution available to the mind-body problem. More exactly, he defends a view that can be labelled 'dual-aspect-pan-proto-psychism'. Panpsychism claims that mentality is ubiquitous to reality, and in combination with dual-aspect monism it claims that anything, from fundamental particles to rocks, trees, and human animals, has two aspects: a physical aspect and a mental aspect. In short, the view is that the nature of reality is 'phental' (physical-mental). But this does not mean, according to the author, that rocks and photons think or have conscious experiences, in the sense in which human animals have experiences. This is where pan-proto-psychism enters the picture as being a better theoretical option, where the mental aspects of fundamental particles, rocks, and trees are not experiential. Many hard questions arise here. In this book, Benovsky focuses on the combination problem: in short, how do tiny mental aspects of fundamental particles combine to yield macro-phenomenal conscious experiences, such as your complex experience when you enjoy a great gastronomic meal? What makes the question even harder is that the combination problem is not just one problem, but rather a family of various combination issues and worries. Benovsky offers a general strategy to deal with these combination problems and focuses on one in particular – namely, the worry concerning the existence of subjects of experience. Indeed, if standard panpsychism were true, we would need an explanation of how tiny micro-subjects combine into a macro-subject like a human person. And if panprotopsychism is true, it has to explain how a subject of experience can arise from proto-micro-mental aspects of reality. Benovsky shows that understanding the nature of subjectivity in terms of the growingly familiar notion of mineness in combination with an eliminativist view of the self, allows us to have a coherent picture, where this type of combination problem is avoided, without throwing the baby out with the bathwater.
Mind And Movement: The Practice of Coex
by Tony CrispBy using body movements and postures as doorways to our own natural healing process, we can actively release tension; find balance between the mind and the body; learn to dream creatively while awake; and tap areas of the unconscious thought unaccesible.Most physical movements and exercise are disconnected from our deepest drives, feelings and sources of healing. MIND AND MOVEMENT shows how to find a natural way healthy to healthy exercise and spiritual growth. The method of co-operating with our own internal healing and creativity has been known and used for centuries. In Japan it is called Seitai, in India Shaktipat; even the early Christian used this simple form of inner and outer hygiene.Recent research has linked this activity with the self-regulatory and dream proces within us. But, no other book has made plain to the public how to co-operate with these internal functions for one's own benefit.Tony Crisp has been writing about natural health and self help for thirty years. His special interest in the healing potential of the dream process led him to work as a therapist during the past fourteen years. It is out of this experience MIND AND MOVEMENT was written.
Mind and the Cosmic Order: How the Mind Creates the Features & Structure of All Things, and Why this Insight Transforms Physics
by Charles PinterThe topic of this book is the relationship between mind and the physical world. From once being an esoteric question of philosophy, this subject has become a central topic in the foundations of quantum physics. The book traces this story back to Descartes, through Kant, to the beginnings of 20th Century physics, where it becomes clear that the mind-world relationship is not a speculative question but has a direct impact on the understanding of physical phenomena. The book’s argument begins with the British empiricists who raised our awareness of the fact that we have no direct contact with physical reality, but it is the mind that constructs the form and features of objects. It is shown that modern cognitive science brings this insight a step further by suggesting that shape and structure are not internal to objects, but arise in the observer. The author goes yet further by arguing that the meaningful connectedness between things — the hierarchical organization of all we perceive — is the result of the Gestalt nature of perception and thought, and exists only as a property of mind. These insights give the first glimmerings of a new way of seeing the cosmos: not as a mineral wasteland but a place inhabited by creatures.
Mind and World
by John McDowellModern philosophy finds it difficult to give a satisfactory picture of the place of minds in the world. In Mind and World, one of the most distinguished philosophers writing today offers his diagnosis of this difficulty and points to a cure.
Mind and World
by John McDowellModern philosophy finds it difficult to give a satisfactory picture of the place of minds in the world. In Mind and World, one of the most distinguished philosophers writing today offers his diagnosis of this difficulty and points to a cure.
Mind As Action
by James V. WertschContemporary social problems typically involve many complex, interrelated dimensions--psychological, cultural, and institutional, among others. But today, the social sciences have fragmented into isolated disciplines lacking a common language, and analyses of social problems have polarized into approaches that focus on an individual's mental functioning over social settings, or vice versa. In Mind as Action, James V. Wertsch argues that current approaches to social issues have been blinded by the narrow confines of increasing specialization in the social sciences. In response to this conceptual blindness, he proposes a method of sociocultural analysis that connects the various perspectives of the social sciences in an integrated, nonreductive fashion. Wertsch maintains that we can use mediated action, which he defines as the irreducible tension between active agents and cultural tools, as a productive method of explicating the complicated relationships between human action and its manifold cultural, institutional, and historical contexts. Drawing on the ideas of Lev Vygotsky, Mikhail Bakhtin, and Kenneth Burke, as well as research from various fields, this book traces the implications of mediated action for a sociocultural analysis of the mind, as well as for some of today's most pressing social issues. Wertsch's investigation of forms of mediated action such as stereotypes and historical narratives provide valuable new insights into issues such as the mastery, appropriation, and resistance of culture. By providing an analytic unit that has the possibility of operating at the crossroads of various disciplines, Mind as Action will be important reading for academics, students, and researchers in psychology, linguistics, cognitive science, sociology, literary analysis, and philosophy.
Mind As Action
by James V. WertschContemporary social problems typically involve many complex, interrelated dimensions--psychological, cultural, and institutional, among others. But today, the social sciences have fragmented into isolated disciplines lacking a common language, and analyses of social problems have polarized into approaches that focus on an individual's mental functioning over social settings, or vice versa. In Mind as Action, James V. Wertsch argues that current approaches to social issues have been blinded by the narrow confines of increasing specialization in the social sciences. In response to this conceptual blindness, he proposes a method of sociocultural analysis that connects the various perspectives of the social sciences in an integrated, nonreductive fashion. Wertsch maintains that we can use mediated action, which he defines as the irreducible tension between active agents and cultural tools, as a productive method of explicating the complicated relationships between human action and its manifold cultural, institutional, and historical contexts. Drawing on the ideas of Lev Vygotsky, Mikhail Bakhtin, and Kenneth Burke, as well as research from various fields, this book traces the implications of mediated action for a sociocultural analysis of the mind, as well as for some of today's most pressing social issues. Wertsch's investigation of forms of mediated action such as stereotypes and historical narratives provide valuable new insights into issues such as the mastery, appropriation, and resistance of culture. By providing an analytic unit that has the possibility of operating at the crossroads of various disciplines, Mind as Action will be important reading for academics, students, and researchers in psychology, linguistics, cognitive science, sociology, literary analysis, and philosophy.
Mind as Metaphor: A Defence of Mental Fictionalism
by Adam ToonWe often think of the mind as an inner world. Once, this inner world might have been a spirit or soul - a "ghost in the machine", in Gilbert Ryle's memorable phrase. Nowadays, we are told it will be found in the brain. Adam Toon argues that this is a mistake. In fact, our concept of mind is fundamentally metaphorical: we project the 'outer world' of human culture onto the 'inner world' of the mind. This is an enormously powerful way of making sense of people and their behaviour. But we must not forget that this inner world is only a useful fiction. Mind as Metaphor develops this idea to offer a radical new approach to the mind, known as mental fictionalism. Toon shows that mental fictionalism can make sense of our ordinary concept of mind (or folk psychology), while avoiding the difficulties faced by alternative approaches, such as behaviourism or instrumentalism. In doing so, Mind as Metaphor sheds new light on a range of issues, from the mind's capacity to represent the world (or intentionality) to the way in which new tools and practices expand the limits of inquiry. Written in a concise, engaging, and accessible style, Mind as Metaphor is essential reading for anyone interested in the nature of the mind and its relationship to human culture
Mind as Metaphor: A Defence of Mental Fictionalism
by Adam ToonWe often think of the mind as an inner world. Once, this inner world might have been a spirit or soul - a "ghost in the machine", in Gilbert Ryle's memorable phrase. Nowadays, we are told it will be found in the brain. Adam Toon argues that this is a mistake. In fact, our concept of mind is fundamentally metaphorical: we project the 'outer world' of human culture onto the 'inner world' of the mind. This is an enormously powerful way of making sense of people and their behaviour. But we must not forget that this inner world is only a useful fiction. Mind as Metaphor develops this idea to offer a radical new approach to the mind, known as mental fictionalism. Toon shows that mental fictionalism can make sense of our ordinary concept of mind (or folk psychology), while avoiding the difficulties faced by alternative approaches, such as behaviourism or instrumentalism. In doing so, Mind as Metaphor sheds new light on a range of issues, from the mind's capacity to represent the world (or intentionality) to the way in which new tools and practices expand the limits of inquiry. Written in a concise, engaging, and accessible style, Mind as Metaphor is essential reading for anyone interested in the nature of the mind and its relationship to human culture
A Mind at Home with Itself: Finding Freedom in a World of Suffering
by Byron Katie Stephen Mitchell‘Very illuminating…on the cutting edge of current biological research’ Jon Kabat-ZinnQuestion your thoughts and find freedomIn A Mind At Home With Itself, bestselling author and founder of The Work, Byron Katie explains that emotions such as sadness, anger and resentment come from believing our negative thoughts. But when we learn to question those thoughts, they lose their power. And when this happens, our minds are free to turn towards others and ourselves with a spirit of generosity.Byron Katie gives hugely popular workshops every year all over the world, in places like churches, prisons, universities, schools and corporations. She speaks at organisations like Facebook and Stanford University and is also involved with a programme for cancer patients. Charismatic and compassionate, there’s good reason why The Times has called her events ‘riveting’, and Time magazine has named her ‘a spiritual innovator for the new millennium’.
Mind-Blowing Sex: A Woman's Guide
by Diana CageConfidence, health, and self-knowledge are the keys to a happier sex life-and sex expert Diana Cage is here to teach you how to achieve all three. Mind-Blowing Sex is an inclusive, hands-on guide to making sex more enjoyable for readers of all sexual orientations. Beginning with a brief historical overview, the book provides women and their lovers with an expansive view of female sexuality-from where it’s been to where it’s headed-and takes a contemporary approach to sex, offering direct tips and informed advice on how to have the best, most gratifying sex possible. Irreverent yet insightful, Cage covers both the emotional and physical aspects involved in increasing sexual pleasure-including tuning into your sexual fantasies, overcoming hang-ups, touching and being touched, choosing and introducing toys, and understanding female anatomy and orgasms.Straight-talking and non-judgmental, Mind-Blowing Sex will help women-straight and queer-to open their minds, reject stereotypes, educate themselves and their lovers, and learn how to enjoy sex more than ever before.
Mind Body Baby: How to eat, think and exercise to give yourself the best chance at conceiving
by Ann BrackenHospital visits, calendar watching, disheartening test results and scheduled sex can make trying for a baby a stressful experience, and the strain it puts on couples and individuals struggling with infertility can impact hugely on the likelihood of successful conception.With an approach that puts wellbeing at the heart of fertility, this easy-to-follow guide by top fertility specialist Ann Bracken offers a proven successful alternative to formal counselling. Her comprehensive and supportive book gives help and guidance on how to enhance and improve the outcome.With a focus on mindfulness-based stress reduction techniques, which have been scientifically proven to help overcome the stress and anxiety associated with fertility problems, the author examines the emotional issues around fertility and conception and offers step-by-step exercises to help readers improve their chances of conceiving. With a whole chapter on nutrition by renowned nutritionist Dr Marilyn Glenville, the integrated mind/body approach in this book offers a plan for the best possible chance of getting pregnant. Offering the perfect blend of emotional support and practical advice on lifestyle changes for infertility this is a must-have book for every couple hoping to get pregnant, written by an expert author with years of experience as a Fertility Counsellor and Mindfulness-Based Therapist.'After 20 years of supporting fertility patients I am convinced that an integrated mind-body approach delivers the best outcome. Ann Bracken has a practical and compassionate approach, as demonstrated in her brilliant new book. It is a much-needed antidote to the all-too-often stressful and soul-searching path to parenthood. I will be recommending it to my fertility patients'Emma Cannon, integrated fertility and pregnancy expert, acupuncturist and author of The Baby-Making Bible'All too often the management of reproductive health is seen through the narrow prism of a particular clinician or clinic. This book provides the perfect balance outlining the integrative mind and body approach and provides an essential complement to the medical aspects of the fertility journey' Dr James Nicopoullos, Consultant Gynaecologist & Subspecialist in Reproductive Medicine, The Lister Clinic, Lister Hospital, Chelsea, London'Ann Bracken expertly shows readers how to weave mindfulness into their lives to help them take care of their wellbeing as they live through a challenging process. Her book includes a great deal else besides, but I was impressed by how she makes mindfulness so readily accessible.'Padraig O'Morain, mindfulness teacher and psychotherapist, author of Mindfulness on the Go, Mindfulness for Worriers
Mind Body Bowl: The 3 Pillars Of Wellness To Help You Find Your Perfect Balance
by Annie Clarke‘Mind Body Bowl is the perfect balance. The recipes are simple, delicious and something you will want to eat every day. It will become your go-to recipe book’ Madeleine Shaw
Mind Body Cleanse: The 12 Day Plan to Heal Your Body and Re-Energise Your Mind
by Chris JamesFeeling sluggish, bloated and in desperate need of rejuvenation? Enter Chris James's unique plan to restore energy, acuity and cleanse your whole body, starting with the seat of all health - the gut.By targeting three key areas and showing you the impacts they can have on your body and mind, Chris's holistic method will show you exactly what your body needs and how to nourish it, using: - Diet: menu plans, delicious cleansing recipes, juices, suggestions and tips for eating vegan; - Mindfulness: how to use mindfulness to help you focus on what exactly your body needs; - Yoga: simple and specific twists to stimulate peristalsis and digestion, inversions to stimulate the lymphatic system, backbends to stimulate gut health. You've heard of cleanses, the power of mindfulness and the importance of gut health; now combine them for the first time with Chris's Mind Body Cleanse. In just 12 days you'll feel lighter, brighter and glowing with health.Mind Body Cleanse was voted best self-help book in this month’s Your Fitness magazine.
Mind-Body Entanglement: Theory and Therapies (SpringerBriefs in Philosophy)
by Pierre UzanThis book suggests a radical departure in approaching the mind-body problem. Instead of trying to causally relate subjective experience to the functioning of the body, it begins with the notion of the psychosomatic unity of the individual and looks for its conditions of possibility. This text shows that what makes this unity possible is the generalized entanglement relation that connects a person's subjective experience with its body functioning in a specific way.In addition to providing a significant contribution to the long-standing philosophical debate about the nature of the mind-body connection, this change of perspective based on the concept of generalized entanglement allows for exploring a holistic approach to health. It can for example explain the existence of body memory and leads to a better understanding of the genesis and evolution of internal diseases, allowing for the development of mind-body therapies. This volume also provides new insights into mental disorders and sets the theoretical basis of self-healing methods appealing to students, researchers and professionals in the fields.
The Mind-Body Method: How Moving Your Body Can Stop You Losing Your Mind
by Dr Anders Hansen'An essential how-to book to reduce stress, calm anxiety and keep your brain active' - NIR EYAL'Lucid, fascinating, inspiring' - JOHANN HARI'The antidote to our modern-day struggles' - RANGAN CHATTERJEEDo you want to reduce your stress levels, boost your memory, mood and focus, and be more creative? Then it’s time to get moving!In this groundbreaking international bestseller, psychiatrist and mental health guru Dr Anders Hansen presents the simple yet effective method for reducing stress and anxiety, boosting your memory, raising your IQ, and even slowing down the ageing process.With practical and concrete advice on how we can all reap the benefits of daily movement, The Mind-Body Method is the book you need to help you to make life-altering changes, understand why your brain is wired to move, and motivate you to achieve your health and fitness goals.
The Mind-Body Politic
by Michelle Maiese Robert HannaBuilding on contemporary research in embodied cognition, enactivism, and the extended mind, this book explores how social institutions in contemporary neoliberal nation-states systematically affect our thoughts, feelings, and agency. Human beings are, necessarily, social animals who create and belong to social institutions. But social institutions take on a life of their own, and literally shape the minds of all those who belong to them, for better or worse, usually without their being self-consciously aware of it. Indeed, in contemporary neoliberal societies, it is generally for the worse. In The Mind-Body Politic, Michelle Maiese and Robert Hanna work out a new critique of contemporary social institutions by deploying the special standpoint of the philosophy of mind—in particular, the special standpoint of the philosophy of what they call essentially embodied minds—and make a set of concrete, positive proposals for radically changing both these social institutions and also our essentially embodied lives for the better.
The Mind-Body Problem and Metaphysics: An Argument from Consciousness to Mental Substance (Routledge Studies in Contemporary Philosophy)
by Ralph Stefan WeirThis book evaluates the widespread preference in philosophy of mind for varieties of property dualism over other alternatives to physicalism. It takes the standard motivations for property dualism as a starting point and argues that these lead directly to nonphysical substances resembling the soul of traditional metaphysics. In the first half of the book, the author clarifies what is at issue in the choice between theories that posit nonphysical properties only and those that posit nonphysical substances. The crucial question, he argues, is whether one posits nonphysical things that satisfy an Aristotelian-Cartesian independence definition of substance: nonphysical things that could exist in the absence of anything else. In the second half, the author argues that standard and Russellian monist forms of property dualism are far less plausible than we usually suppose. Most significantly, the presuppositions of one of the leading arguments for property dualism, the conceivability argument, lead by parity of reasoning to the view that conscious subjects are nonphysical substances. He concludes that if you posit nonphysical properties in response to the mind-body problem, then you should be prepared to posit nonphysical substances as well. Mainstream philosophy of mind must take nonphysical substances far more seriously than it has done for the best part of a century. The Mind-Body Problem and Metaphysics will be of interest to scholars and advanced students working in philosophy of mind, metaphysics, and the history of philosophy.
The Mind-Body Problem and Metaphysics: An Argument from Consciousness to Mental Substance (Routledge Studies in Contemporary Philosophy)
by Ralph Stefan WeirThis book evaluates the widespread preference in philosophy of mind for varieties of property dualism over other alternatives to physicalism. It takes the standard motivations for property dualism as a starting point and argues that these lead directly to nonphysical substances resembling the soul of traditional metaphysics. In the first half of the book, the author clarifies what is at issue in the choice between theories that posit nonphysical properties only and those that posit nonphysical substances. The crucial question, he argues, is whether one posits nonphysical things that satisfy an Aristotelian-Cartesian independence definition of substance: nonphysical things that could exist in the absence of anything else. In the second half, the author argues that standard and Russellian monist forms of property dualism are far less plausible than we usually suppose. Most significantly, the presuppositions of one of the leading arguments for property dualism, the conceivability argument, lead by parity of reasoning to the view that conscious subjects are nonphysical substances. He concludes that if you posit nonphysical properties in response to the mind-body problem, then you should be prepared to posit nonphysical substances as well. Mainstream philosophy of mind must take nonphysical substances far more seriously than it has done for the best part of a century. The Mind-Body Problem and Metaphysics will be of interest to scholars and advanced students working in philosophy of mind, metaphysics, and the history of philosophy.
Mind, Body, Soul Journal: Discover a sense of purpose and live your best life
by Andrea HayesThis timeless journal is an indispensable companion if you want to live a more focused, positive life.A practical workbook designed to help you find more meaning and fulfilment amidst the chaos of daily life, it contains a twelve-step, month-by-month strategy that creates space for introspection and self-discovery so you can gain a renewed sense of freedom and fulfilment.‘Lovely book … a spiritual Filofax.’ Patrick Bergin. ‘Full of positivity and inspiration, this book is a tonic – I loved it.’ Alan Hughes‘This book will make anybody’s life journey easy and joyful. I absolutely recommend it. It’s a book for everyone to help them on their journey.’ Helen Goldin‘The most astonishingly uplifting work I've read all year! This isn't just a book to read, it's a bible to live your best life by.’ Claudia Carroll‘This book unleashes the power of you to successfully set goals for a happy and successful life and to reach your true potential through the magic of goal setting. Set a satnav for your life by following this practical journal and unleash the best version of you.’ Norah Casey‘Finally! A blueprint for creating the life you want in this powerful and authentic spiritual guidebook. You will pick it up, put it down, and pick it up again and again.’ Paul Congdon, editor of Positive Life
The Mind-Body Stage: Passion and Interaction in the Cartesian Theater
by R. Darren GobertDescartes's notion of subjectivity changed the way characters would be written, performed by actors, and received by audiences. His coordinate system reshaped how theatrical space would be conceived and built. His theory of the passions revolutionized our understanding of the emotional exchange between spectacle and spectators. Yet theater scholars have not seen Descartes's transformational impact on theater history. Nor have philosophers looked to this history to understand his reception and impact. After Descartes, playwrights put Cartesian characters on the stage and thematized their rational workings. Actors adapted their performances to account for new models of subjectivity and physiology. Critics theorized the theater's emotional and ethical benefits in Cartesian terms. Architects fostered these benefits by altering their designs. The Mind-Body Stage provides a dazzlingly original picture of one of the most consequential and confusing periods in the histories of modern theater and philosophy. Interdisciplinary and comparatist in scope, it uses methodological techniques from literary study, philosophy, theater history, and performance studies and draws on scores of documents (including letters, libretti, religious jeremiads, aesthetic treatises, and architectural plans) from several countries.