Theories of the Mind: A Compelling Investigation into the Ideas of Leading Philosophers on the Nature of the Mind and Its Relationship to the Body

Many of the world's leading thinkers - Hobbes and Hegel, Spinoza and Sartre, Berkeley, Wittgenstein and Bertrand Russell - have been haunted by the same great philosophical puzzle: what is the exact relationship between the body and the mind? Plato, Descartes, and the dualists believe the mind and physical objects (including the body and the brain) are utterly distinct in nature. Double aspect theorists, by contrast, claim that they are just different aspects of one reality. Idealists believe only the mind exists; materialists think everything is physical. Other schools stress our inner experience, our outward behavior, or the function of mental events. In his brilliant exposition of these conflicting theories, Stephen Priest provides a critical analysis of the main contributions to the debate, showing where they clash and where they fit together. The result is a definitive survey of the mind-body problem; the conclusion offers a compelling new solution. STEPHEN PRIEST was born in Oxford, England. He is a lecturer in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Edinburgh, author of "The British Empiricists: Hobbes to Ayer," and editor of "Hegel's Critique of Kant." 1. Dualism. Plato. The Cyclical Argument. The Recollection Argument. The Soul And The Forms. The Affinity Argument. The Argument From Opposites. Descartes. Existence And Essence. Two Substances. Identity And Difference. Clear And Distinct Ideas. Interaction. Union -- 2. Logical Behaviourism. Hempel. The Vienna Circle. The Translation Project. A Pseudo-problem. Ryle. The Ghost In The Machine. Category Mistakes. Dispositions. Occurrences. Introspection. One World. Wittgenstein. The Private Language Argument And The Philosophy Of Mind. Is Experience Private? Is Meaning Private? -- 3. Idealism. Berkeley. Matter In Question. Qualities. Esse Est Percipi (to Be Is To Be Perceived). Minds. Hegel. The Critique Of Dualism. Dialectic. Universal And Particular. Self-consciousness. Master And Slave. Absolute Idealism -- 4. Materialism. Place. A Scientific Hypothesis. Contingent Identities. Verifying Materialism. The Phenomenological Problem. Type-type Or Token-token? Davidson. Three Principles. Anomalous Monism. The Holism Of The Mental. Materialism And Freedom. Honderich. Psychoneural Nomic Correlation. The Causation Of Psychoneural Pairs. The Causation Of Actions. Neuroscience And Quantum Mechanics. Life Hopes. 5. Functionalism. Putnam. Brain States And Pain States. Turing Machines. Functional States. Lewis. The Madman And The Martian. Causal Roles. Materialist Functionalism -- 6. Double Aspect Theory. Spinoza. One Substance. Individuals. God Or Nature. Finitude. Russell. Neutral Monism. Matter. Mind. Sense Data. Strawson. Material Particulars. Three Theories Of The Self. Persons. Two Kinds Of Predicate. How Is Dualism Thinkable? -- 7. The Phenomenological View. Brentano. Mental And Physical Phenomena. Presentations. Outside Space. Intentionality. Inner Consciousness. Knowledge, Privacy And Time. Husserl. Intentionality. Act And Object. Consciousness And The Ego -- 8. Conclusion: How To Solve The Mind-body Problem. What Are Minds? What Are Mental And Physical? What Is Thinking? What Is Consciousness? What Is Subjectivity? What Is Individuality? What Is The Self? What Is Matter? Stephen Priest. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [223]-226 And Index.