The Nature of Mind

In this comprehensive introduction to the philosophy of mind, David Rosenthal has collected the most important and influential recent writings about the nature of mental functioning and the relationship of mind to the rest of reality.

Since the dawn of history philosophers have speculated about the nature of mind. What kind of thing is the mind? How do mental processes fit with the rest of the natural order? Is the mind something different and separate from the body? What is distinctive of the various kinds of mental phenomena such as thinking, feeling, sensing, and consciousness? Addressing these and related problems, this anthology provides a framework for understanding mental functioning. The readings are grouped into five major sections: General Problems about Mind, Self and Other, Mind and Body, The Nature of Mind, and Psychological Explanation. Each section begins with an introduction that discusses the issues and problems that arise in the various selections and shows how each author approaches them. In addition, a general introduction gives a concise overview of the subject and provides a historical context for the readings. Representative works of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century thinkers such as Descartes, Locke, and Reid provide a solid foundation for the copious selections from contemporary philosophers that follow, among them articles by Fodor, Dennett, Nagel, Putnam, Davidson, Searle, Ryle, Strawson, Burge, Chisholm, Rorty, and Sellars. With sixty-two selections in all, The Nature of Mind is an invaluable resource for anyone interested in this central philosophical topic.