Minds and Bodies: An Introduction with Readings (Philosophy and the Human Situation) - Softcover

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Robert Wilkinson teaches at the Open University in Scotland. His previous publications include Thirty-five Oriental Philosophers (Routledge, 1994).

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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.

Writing with the beginner in mind, Robert Wilkinson carefully introduces the reader to the major issues in the philosophy of mind: Descartes' 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 helpfully linked to a reading from key thinkers in the field such as Descartes and John R. Searle. Exercises are used to encourage readers 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.