Daniel Dennett: Reconciling Science and Our Self-Conception (Key Contemporary Thinkers) [Paperback]

Matthew Elton (Author)

Book Description

Series: Key Contemporary Thinkers | Publication Date: October 20, 2003

Daniel Dennett is one of the most influential thinkers at the interface between philosophy and science. This book is the first comprehensive examination of Dennett’s ideas on the nature of thought, consciousness, free will, and the significance of Darwinism.

• A highly original introduction to contemporary thinking about the relationship between mind and science.
  
• This is the first comprehensive examination of Dennett’s ideas on the nature of thought, consciousness, free will, and the significance of Darwinism.
  
• Examines Dennett’s unique response to the question of when and how science should affect the conception that we have of ourselves.
  
• Casts new light on specific controversies: Could robots ever think, feel, and enjoy freedom? Does Dennett really explain consciousness? Are mental states real or merely ‘useful fictions’? Do we have free will? Is the self a ‘centre of narrative gravity’?

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Elton's book will be an invaluable companion for anyone hoping to get to grips with Dennett's rich and expansive vision." David Bain, The Philosophical Quarterly April 2005

‘For over thirty years Daniel Dennett has been among the most important, innovative and engaging philosophers in the world. With the appearance of his book, Consciousness Explained, in 1991, his fame and his influence spread throughout the academic world and beyond. While there has been a great deal written about Dennett’s ideas, until now we have had no systematic, integrated account of the "real patterns" that run through Dennett’s philosophy. Elton’s clear, readable and well-informed book provides just such an account. This is the ideal book for readers – and they are many – who’ve been captivated by reading Dennett’s work and want to understand how the themes that he explores with such intellectual exuberance fit together in an integrated account of human agents and the sciences that study them.’ – Professor Stephen Stich, Department of Philosophy and Center for Cognitive Science, Rutgers University

‘This is an excellent introduction to the twists and turns of Dennett’s thinking. In guiding the reader through a luminous yet sometimes puzzling maze of images, empirical excursions, thought experiments and hard arguments, Matthew Elton lays bare the deep unifying agenda that animates all of Dennett’s work. Combining the roles of careful critic and generous host, Elton’s patient excavations will help the novice and excite the expert.’ – Professor Andy Clark, Director of the Cognitive Science Program, Department of Philosophy, Indiana University

From the Back Cover

Daniel Dennett is one of the most influential thinkers at the interface between philosophy and science. This book is the first comprehensive examination of Dennett’s ideas on the nature of thought, consciousness, free will, and the significance of Darwinism.

Elton examines Dennett’s unique response to the question of when and how science should affect the conception that we have of ourselves. Whilst rejecting reductionism on the grounds that much of our self-conception is immune to revision, Dennett also rejects the idea that science has nothing to say about our self-conception – an idea that still flourishes within contemporary philosophy. What emerges is a view in which our understanding of ourselves is constrained by, but not continuous with, scientific inquiry.

Elton excels at bringing out the themes that bind together different aspects of Dennett’s work. At the same time he casts new light on more specific controversies: Could robots ever think, feel, and enjoy freedom? Does Dennett really explain consciousness? Are mental states real or merely ‘useful fictions’? Do we have free will? Is the self a ‘centre of narrative gravity’?

Written in an exceptionally clear and engaging style, the book is a highly original introduction to contemporary thinking about the relationship between mind and science.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 312 pages
• Publisher: Polity; 1 edition (October 20, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0745621171
• ISBN-13: 978-0745621173
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,105,365 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent overview, September 12, 2003

By 

Michael Schuerig (Bonn, Deutschland) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Daniel Dennett: Reconciling Science and Our Self-Conception (Key Contemporary Thinkers) (Paperback)

Matthew Elton provides an excellent account of Dennett's work. The book goes beyond being an introduction. In his presentation of Dennett's view on intentionality and consciousness, Elton systematizes were Dennett is eclectic, points out flaws in arguments and at times improves on them (no, not on the flaws).

I'm less enthusiastic about his appraisal of Dennett on Darwin and on free will and responsibility. Still Elton's account is sound and fair.

For more specialized treatments of Dennett's philosophical perspective, there are collections by Bo Dahlbom and (two) by Andrew Brook and Don Ross et al.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent introduction, January 15, 2007

By 

N. Powell "ArtificialIntel" (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Daniel Dennett: Reconciling Science and Our Self-Conception (Key Contemporary Thinkers) (Paperback)

Elton distills and places in context common currents running throughout Dennett's work sympathetically and accurately - but not uncritically - for those who haven't encountered all the various pieces that compose Dennett's approach. Elton avoids getting mired in the confusing controversies by abstaining from distracting attempts to tie off loose ends, but he does represent the basic thread of objections to Dennett's work as well as canvass Dennett's general responses, occasionally indulging in well-marked hypothetical extensions of Dennett's approach where Dennett has refrained from responding explicitly. The result is a fairly concise narrative containing insights and syntheses of interest even to those who have spent a great deal of time on Dennett's thought, while remaining a useful and reliable antidote to the most common confusions for those who have not.