Philosophy of Mind has a lot of material to work with these days. More studies are coming out every year which challenge fundamental assumptions scholars have made about the mind since the concept first arose. Yet even as we are called to rethink how the mind works, these studies reaffirm the existence of such a thing, calling us to once again wrestle with a phenomenon both elusive yet intimate. Even as we’re perpetually aware of thought, how it arises and what causes pathologies like epilepsy and narcissism remains unknown. And as thought involves every aspect of our experience, theories of mind relate in some way to every attribute of our endeavors
What I find most fascinating about the Philosophy of Mind is how many tools contemporary theorists bring to bear on the study. In just the papers below the authors connect reference theory, soft realism, neo-Kantianism, chaos theory, and neuroscience to the topic. To the extent that these authors are on to something, it means that events we’ve observed throughout the universe, both on this planet and elsewhere, are going on within our heads all the time. Though it is not a surprise that similar patterns are observed—our mind is not a singularity cut off from the universe—it goes give me pause to think of the undiscovered country less than and arm’s distance away.
- Frédéric Bertrand, “The Contribution of Daniel C. Dennett’s Philosophy of Mind to French Cognitive Policy Analysis,” Politics. June 2014.
- Jonathan C. Gold, “A Review of Brains, Buddhas, and Believing: The Problem of Intentionality in Classical Buddhist and Cognitive-Scientific Philosophy of Mind,” Philosophy East & West. October 2014.
- Lisa Bortolotti and Rachel Gunn, “The Measure of Madness: Philosophy of Mind, Cognitive Neuroscience, and Delusional Thought,” British Journal for the Philosophy of Science, September 2016.
- John Ostrowick, “What is chaos and how is it relevant for philosophy of mind?,” South African Journal of Philosophy, September 2015.
- Plousia Misailidi, “Individual Differences in Children’s Understanding of Guilt: Links with Theory of Mind,” Journal of Genetic Psychology, July/August 2018.
See the Routledge APA member page for more books on [topic]. APA members get a 20% discount on all books.
*
Have a suggestion for the What Are You Reading column? Contact us here.
All philosophies and philosophers are made of thought.
Thought operates by dividing a single unified reality in to conceptual parts. This process of division is the source of both our genius and our madness, and is thus the stage upon which most human drama unfolds.
Thought is inherently divisive in nature. Understand that single simple fact, and from that foundation you’ll understand fear, religion, violence, love and so much else.
Gilles Deleuze discusses a similar philosophy in “A Thousand Plateaus.” You might consider reading it if you’re interested in exploring this line of thought further (but be warned, it can be tricky to get through).