Consciousness : Theories in Neuroscience and Philosophy of Mind

This book reviews some of the most important scientific and philosophical theories concerning the nature of mind and consciousness. Current theories on the mind-body problem and the neural correlates of consciousness are presented through a series of biographical sketches of the most influential thinkers across the fields of philosophy of mind, psychology and neuroscience. The book is divided into two parts: the first is dedicated to philosophers of mind and the second, to neuroscientists/experimental psychologists. Each part comprises twenty short chapters, with each chapter being dedicated to one author. A brief introduction is given on his or her life and most important works and influences. The most influential theory/ies developed by each author are then carefully explained and examined with the aim of scrutinizing the strengths and weaknesses of the different approaches to the nature of consciousness. La 4e de couverture rapporte : "This book aims to depict a wide landscape by reviewing some of the most important scientific and philosophical theories concerning the nature of mind and consciousness. Current theories on the mind-body problem and the neural correlates of consciousness are presented through a series of biographical sketches of the most influential thinkers across the fields of philosophy of mind, psychology, and neuroscience. The book is divided into two parts: Part 1 is dedicated to philosophers of mind, whereas Part 2 encompasses neuroscientists and experimental psychologists. Each part comprises fifteen short chapters, with each chapter being dedicated to one author. A brief introduction is given on his or her life and most important works, with explanation of influences and of the impact that the ideas contained in these works had on the communities of psychologists, neuroscientists, and philosophers of the time. The most influential theory/ies developed by each author are then explained and examined, with the aim of analyzing the strengths and weaknesses of the different approaches to the nature of consciousness. An annotated list of essential references concludes each chapter." Front Matter....Pages i-xvi Front Matter....Pages 1-1 David Chalmers....Pages 3-7 Paul and Patricia Churchland....Pages 9-13 Tim Crane....Pages 15-18 Donald Davidson....Pages 19-24 Daniel Dennett....Pages 25-28 René Descartes....Pages 29-36 Jerry Fodor....Pages 37-41 Jaegwon Kim....Pages 43-47 William Lycan....Pages 49-53 Colin McGinn....Pages 55-59 Thomas Nagel....Pages 61-65 Alva Noë....Pages 67-71 Hilary Putnam....Pages 73-78 David Rosenthal....Pages 79-83 John Searle....Pages 85-89 Front Matter....Pages 91-91 Bernard Baars....Pages 93-97 Francis Crick and Christof Koch....Pages 99-103 Antonio Damasio....Pages 105-110 Stanislas Dehaene....Pages 111-116 Merlin Donald....Pages 117-121 Front Matter....Pages 91-91 John Eccles and Karl Popper....Pages 123-126 Gerald Edelman....Pages 127-131 Nicholas Humphrey....Pages 133-137 Julian Jaynes....Pages 139-143 Benjamin Libet....Pages 145-149 John Kevin O’Regan....Pages 151-155 Roger Penrose and Stuart Hameroff....Pages 157-161 Giulio Tononi....Pages 163-167 Max Velmans....Pages 169-173 Semir Zeki....Pages 175-179 Back Matter....Pages 181-203