Neurophilosophy at Work

Description

Churchland explores the unfolding impact of the several empirical sciences of the mind, especially cognitive neurobiology and computational neuroscience on a variety of traditional issues central to the discipline of philosophy. Representing Churchland's most recent research, they continue his research program, launched over thirty years ago which has evolved into the field of neurophilosophy. Topics such as the nature of Consciousness, the nature of cognition and intelligence, the nature of moral knowledge and moral reasoning, neurosemantics or world-representation in the brain, the nature of our subjective sensory qualia and their relation to objective science, and the future of philosophy itself are here addressed in a lively, graphical, and accessible manner. Throughout the volume, Churchland's view that science is as important as philosophy is emphasised. Several of the color figures in the volume will allow the reader to perform some novel phenomenological experiments on his/her own visual system.

Paul Churchland holds the Valtz Chair of Philosophy at the University of California, San Diego. One of the most distinguished philosophers at work today, he has received fellowships from the Andrew Mellon Foundation, the Woodrow Wilson Center, the Canada Council, and the Institute of Advanced Study in Princeton. A former president of the American Philosophical Association (Pacific Division), he is editor and author of many articles and books, most recently The Engine of Reason, the Seat of the Soul and On the Contrary: Critical Essays, 1987-1997 (with Patricia Churchland).

"I recommend this book to those beginning their work in the philosophy of mind, or to those who, though experienced philosophers of mind, are ready to revisit Churchland's neurophilosophy." --Andrew Fenton, Dalhousie University: Philosophy in Review