The Science of the Mind (Bradford Books) [Paperback]

Owen J. Flanagan (Author)

Book Description

Series: Bradford Books | Publication Date: April 26, 1984

This is a lucid and penetrating introduction to the philosophical assumptions and implications of several major psychological theories. It critically analyzes the theories of such major figures as Descartes, William James, Freud, Skinner, Piaget, and Kohlberg, as well as significant contemporary movements such as cognitive psychology, artificial intelligence, and sociobiology.

The book makes an original contribution by showing how such traditional philosophical problems as the nature of the mind-body relation, knowledge of other minds, free-will, unity of consciousness, personal identity, self-knowledge, intentionality, rationality, and reductionism figure within psychology and how psychology contributes to the solution of these philosophical problems.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The new movement toward cognitive science stands on the realization that psychological questions will only give way to combinations of analytic and synthetic approaches. There have been by now a fair number of books that have said this, but I have rarely seen writing that teaches this with the grace and precision of this book."
—Sheldon H. White, Professor of Psychology, Harvard University

About the Author

Owen Flanagan is James B. Duke Professor of Philosophy at Duke University. He is the author of Consciousness Reconsidered (MIT Press), The Problem of the Soul: Two Visions of Mind and How to Reconcile Them, and other books.

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: The MIT Press; First Trade Paper, 3rd Printing edition (April 26, 1984)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0262560313
• ISBN-13: 978-0262560313
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,671,717 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent consciousness/cognition primer., June 13, 2001

By 

Earl Dennis (San Francisco, California United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Science of the Mind: 2nd Edition (Paperback)

I call this a primer because Flanagan structures this work on a chronology from Descartes to E. O. Wilson's sociobiology. This is a fairly comprehensive work. It is a deep, well rounded tome which covers, with a minimal amount of ceremony, 350 years of research into the human mind. A more direct approach to current cognitive studies might be through Edelman, Damasio, et al, but I thoroughly enjoyed Flanagan's intelligent retracements of the likes of James, Freud, Skinner, and Piaget, crossfading into the threshold of the modern cognitive sciences. Flanagan's thesis, antithesis, and synthesis style of evaluating and critiquing his subjects is broadly informative. His terse, pedantic tone lent the air of the university lecture hall to this historical and at the same time contemporary work of philosophy and science. This may seem an unflattering assessment in some contexts, but this is not a literary work; it is a dry, serious attempt on the still somewhat (this book was 1st published in 1984, 17 years ago) mysterious phenomenon of consciousness. It may be somewhat dated today but still offers a credible repertoire of neural case histories and cognitive facts, as well as an excellent historical perusal of some of the best consciousness studies history has to offer. It's a challenging read, but the kind that makes you feel rewarded after having done so.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A single book sweeping education on theories of mind, September 30, 2007

By 

Todd I. Stark "Cellular Wetware plus Books" (Philadelphia, Pa USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Science of the Mind: 2nd Edition (Paperback)

This remains one of my favorite references on the background of modern approaches to studying the mind. If you've ever wondered why so many people seem convinced that the brain is "like a computer" and why this idea has gained so much traction over alternative theories in recent decades, this book will fascinate you. It gives a deep insight into the evolution of the sciences of the mind.

Science of the Mind is superb in its treatment of its subjects both historically and conceptually. Flanagan is also not afraid to take a stand on each of the theories he recounts, from Cartesian dualism to sociobiology and computational mind theories and to do so in an even-handed yet persuasive way.

The result is that you learn an incredible amount from each of the theories, whether they are currently in fashion or not. This is one of those rare volumes that can legitimately be said to be a kind of education (about a single cluster of topics) in a single book.

Highly recommended.