Philosophy of Mind

by Jaegwon Kim

Book Overview

This book explores a range of issues in the philosophy of mind, with the mind-body problem as the main focus. It serves as a stimulus to the reader to engage with the problems of the mind and try to come to terms with them, and examines Descartes's mind-body dualism.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0813344581
• ISBN13: 9780813344584
• Release Date: December 2010
• Publisher: Routledge
• Length: 386 Pages
• Weight: 1.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.1" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

Philosophy of Mind

Great job! I ordered this book on 9/5(wed.) it was shipped on 9/7(fri) and received 9/11(tues.) This book was in stock using regular shipping and received earlier than stated. This experience was so great, I cancelled another book order with a different company and ordered again the following week.

Authoritative survey of major issues in philosophy of mind

I have a bit of an obsession with introductions to the philosophy of mind. I went a bit overboard in preparing for my Ph.D. comprehensive exam in the philosophy of mind. I have read Matter and Consciousness - Revised Edition: A Contemporary Introduction to the Philosophy of Mind, The Mechanical Mind: A Philosophical Introduction to Minds, Machines and Mental Representation, Mind: A Brief Introduction (Fundamentals of Philosophy), Philosophy of Mind: A Contemporary Introduction (Routledge Contemporary Introductions to Philosophy), Philosophy of Mind: An Overview for Cognitive Science, Introducing Persons: Theories and Arguments in the Philosophy of Mind, Gray Matters: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Mind, Philosophy of Mind and Cognition: An Introduction, Contemporary Philosophy of Mind: A Contentiously Classical Approach, The Character of Mind: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Mind (OPUS), and a couple others. I can say that, without question, Jaegwon Kim's "Philosophy of Mind" is the finest, particularly in its revised and expanded Second Edition. It may also be the most intellectually challenging of the bunch. Out of many introductory books on the philosophy of mind, I find myself returning to this book the most. Kim gives a thorough-going overview of contemporary philosophy of mind. He is a masterful writer with the ability to explain difficult material as simply as it can be explained without oversimplifying. There are many more basic introductions to the philosophy of mind, but Kim's is notable for its authoritativeness, its clarity of exposition, and its attention to the nuts and bolts of major philosophical arguments in the philosophy of mind. I think the book would make an ideal companion to a rigorous undergraduate (or even graduate) introductory course in the philosophy of mind. Kim's "Philosophy of Mind" is the kind of book that can be read profitably alongside many of the major philosophy papers written in contemporary philosophy journals. At the end of each chapter Kim provides the go-to sources for each of the ideas covered in a chapter. In that sense, the book provides the perfect jumping off point for more in-depth work in the philosophy of mind. For those outside academic philosophy, the presentation of ideas might not be the most accommodating. Despite Kim's clear writing, much of the material is complex and will involve reading and rereading carefully. One will have to review the steps in the arguments if one wants to come away from the book with a fluency in the ideas treated. Although the material is rigorous, Kim is to be credited for making accessible the kind of philosophy of mind found in contemporary philosophy journals. Much of the language could as easily be found in one of Kim's academic books or papers. So the writing can be dry at times simply because it is dense with argument. Kim is perhaps the world expert on supervenience and mental causation, subjects dealt with in depth here, and, given the rece

Too broad but otherwise good

With regard to an earlier reviewer, Kim does not attack dualism more so than any other modern philosopher since almost all of them with the exception of a few crackpots have abandoned dualism -- or at least Descartes' conception of it. There is good reason for this since his conception of a non-material thinking "substance" seems to me to be completely incompatible with our notions of modern science and the laws of physics. Indeed, it is an utter absurdity to argue that a non-material substance that does not occupy space nor possesses any other physical properties can somehow influence or cause effects in the physical world. How can a simple desire to get a drink -- if it is no more than the product of a non-material substance as Descartes urged -- cause my neurons to start firing so that I get out of my chair and get a drink? Thus, modern philosophers have for the most part abandoned cartesian dualism. That being said, Kim's book is interesting and does a good job of surveying the different issues concerning the mind-body problem. My main objection is that it is so broad that it fails to delve into some of the more interesting aspects of the problem in sufficient detail. And, in some respects it is quite boring. His overuse of variables when ordinary sentences and syntax would suffice makes the reading unduly burdensome and detracts from the ideas presented in the book. In my opinion a much more readable work that deals with the mind-body problem is David Papineau's "Thinking about Consciousness."

A very lucid introduction to contrmporary philosophy of mind

Kim's work is the clearest introduction to major issues in the philosophy of mind in print. Much written in the field is convluted and Delphic in every aspect except length. This work is an excellent place to begin an examination. The chapters on functionialism are especially excellent.

The mass objectification of humanity!!

I get the overall feeling that Kim has some personal beef with Descarte. His whole goal seems to be that of destroying the Cartesian view of a body and mind unison. He does have many good things to say in Philosophy of Mind though. The only problem is that he trys so hard to turn man, a thinking thing, in to a rock. An object. In Kim's defense, he does show both sides of the coin and trys not to preach to much. Still preaches, but I guess thats what I bought the book for in the first place.