Customer Reviews

The Emergent Self (Cornell Studies in the Philoso)

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William Hasker's The Emergent Self is an excellent book on philosophy of mind. While the majority of philosophers in the field are gravitating towards forms of "physicalism" and "materialism" (even among Christians!), Hasker resists this trend with compelling arguments. This book is worth buying, if for no other reason, than its criticisms of a physicalist view of the mind. To date, I have not seen physicalists begin to answer the type of problems that Hasker brings to a point in this book.

In addition to his devastating criticism of physicalism, Hasker's book is also truly innovative. He develops arguments in detail for a specific type of dualism--emergent dualism--that is significantly different from Cartesian dualists (like Swinburne) and Thomistic dualists (like Stump). Hasker's innovative philosophical work broadens the playing field for dualists, which many will welcome given the failures of physicalism and classical problems with traditional dualist views. Hasker shows that dualism is not a simple theory that fits one mold. Those only familiar with traditional dualisms will find new and significant ideas to engage in this articulate book.

Hasker writes with lucidity, rigor, and wit that makes forging through the rough terrain of analytic philosophy of mind a delight, rather than a task. Those with an interest in physicalism, emergentism, dualism, or any general topic in the philosophy of mind will benefit from the work put into this book.

As an amateur philosopher, I found this book extremely helpful in getting a handle on the different views and arguments about consciousness. It took a good look at materialism and dualism and explained why they are insufficient theories in both logical and prose form. The writing was very clear and, for the most part, concise.

The author concludes with his own version of dualism which I didn't buy at all. But despite the ending, this book is worth buying for everything else.