This book brings together researchers from a variety of fields to jointly present and discuss some of the most relevant problems around the conscious mind. This academic plurality perfectly characterizes the complexity with which a current researcher is confronted to discuss and work on this topic.
The volume is organized as follows: Part I introduces the general problems of Philosophy of Mind and some historical perspectives. Part II focuses on understanding the input that the empirical sciences can offer to the theoretical problems. Part III discusses some of the core concepts of the field, namely, perception, memory and experience. Part IV debates human and artificial intelligence and, finally, Part V deliberates about the computation and the ethics of big data and artificial intelligence.
The book contains valuable material for researchers in several fields such as Cognitive Science and Neuroscience, Psychology and Artificial Intelligence, and Philosophy. It can also be used as a guide to some courses at various levels, from BAs to MAs and PhD courses of several fields. It is our belief, as it is claimed in the preface by Georg Northoff, that there is an urgent need for a truly transdisciplinary exchange between philosophy and the sciences in order to stimulate some real progress. We hope that this book will become a sound step for such an interdisciplinary enterprise.
Manuel Curado is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Minhoand holds several degrees, namely National Defense Auditor (Ministry of Defense, Lisbon) and Senior Management in Public Administration (University of Minho). He is doctor cum laude from the University of Salamanca and previously obtained his master's degree from the New University of Lisbon. He delivered many conferences worldwide, from Moscow, Russia (MGLU and MGIMO), to Brasilia, Brazil (UnB), and was Erasmus Professor in Padova, Italy. He is the author of several books, including the first critical edition of an eighteenth-century manuscript (now at the Thomas Fisher Library of the University of Toronto) written by a fellow of the Royal Society of London, Dr. Isaac S. Samuda, MD.
Steven S. Gouveia studies Philosophy of Mind at the University of Minho under the supervision of Professor Manuel Curado and Professor Georg Northoff. He is a researcher at the Mind, Language and Action Group of the Institute of Philosophy of the University of Porto and at the Lisbon Mind & Reasoning Group, IFILNOVA - Nova University of Lisbon. He is a visiting researcher at the Minds, Brain Imaging and Neuroethics at the Royal Institute of Mental Health. He is also the Editor-in-Chief of "Apeiron: Student Journal of Philosophy". He has published various articles and book chapters on several topics, including Neurophilosophy, Philosophy of Neuroscience, Democracy and Philosophy of Arts. More information can be found at: stevensgouveia.weebly.com.
