understanding brainchildren philosophical consciousness

books:

13 reviews
Daniel C. Dennett

Oxford University Press, 1985

Stretching constraints
Dennett combines clarity of thought with clarity of expression to re-introduce the question of "free will." It's an age-old topic, but Dennett's knowledge of nature gives him fresh insight in grappling with the issue. He concedes at the outset that "free will" is usually considered a topic for academics to wrangle over. One of his special talents, however, is bringing such subjects out of the ...

Freedom Evolves

40 reviews
Daniel C. Dennett

Viking Adult, 2003

Free will has price tag
If reality is deterministic, then can anyone seriously believe in free will. In giving an emphatic "yes" Dan Dennett posits a philosophy which attempts to show that -- properly understood -- determinism does indeed reconcile itself with the notion of free will (ostensibly something non deterministic). In laying out his thesis, Dennett draws from a variety of sources however, amazingly ...

The Concept of Mind

8 reviews
Gilbert Ryle

University Of Chicago Press, 2000

A Matter of Mind
"The Concept of Mind" is one of the essential works of philosophy and one of the great books of the twentieth century. Western thought took a horrendous wrong turn with Cartesian dualism and it was not until Ryle's book in 1949 that we got back on track. Or at least should have done, for the idea that we are two separate entities - mind and body - still pervades, and muddies, our thinking, ...

Kinds Of Minds: Toward An Understanding Of Consciousness (Science Masters Series)

14 reviews
Daniel C. Dennett

Basic Books, 1997

From this point forward
If you aren't familiar with the works of Daniel Dennett, this is the starting point of choice. This American philosopher's ability to pose thought-provoking questions is unmatched. In this collection, the focus is on "what is a mind?" How do we define "the mind" and are humans the sole possessors of it? Dennett is not only deft at posing these posers, he presents the questions and his ...

Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon

151 reviews
Daniel C. Dennett

Penguin (Non-Classics), 2007

Belief in Belief
This book has a bit more scholarly depth than the other books by the so called "four horsemen" and requires more careful consideration than the other books simply because of the nature of Dennett's view on religion. He never comes across as attacking religion the way the other three famous recent writers do. Dawkins's book is just as good, but it may be for a different audience. This book has a ...

Brainstorms: Philosophical Essays on Mind and Psychology

2 reviews
Daniel C. Dennett

The MIT Press, 1981

see below
I must give credit to Dennett for trying very hard to make his ideas clear, because he does a better job than most philosophers, but the book is still a bit boring.

Darwin's Dangerous Idea: Evolution and the Meanings of Life

150 reviews
Daniel C. Dennett

Simon & Schuster, 1996

Unintelligent design explained
This book is a philosophical work rather than straight science, the author does an excellent job of looking at all the various species of darwinian theories and their mutations, from scientific,to pop culture to philosophical,and subjecting them to a harsh environment of critical thought and logic, so selecting out the fittest for survival at the end of the book.I may be a bit biased as I have ...

Consciousness Explained

100 reviews
Daniel C. Dennett

Back Bay Books, 1992

I FILLED THIS BOX BECAUSE YOU TOLD ME SO. ~Shakey
Instead of the normal yay or nay review I'll post a few quotes that touch on the underlying theme of this book and the problem it deals with. . . . The problem with consciousness: "I'm writing a book on magic." I explain, and I'm asked, "Real magic?" By /real magic/ people mean miracles, thaumaturgical acts, and supernatural powers. "No." I answer: "Conjuring tricks, not real magic." ~ ...

The Mind's I: Fantasies and Reflections on Self & Soul

13 reviews
Daniel C. Dennett

Basic Books, 2001

Tickle your philosophical funny bone
I first read "The Mind's I" in high school and regularly reread its various essays. Even with a quarter-century of age, it hasn't lost any of its luster. Indeed, with advances in cognitive science and neuroscience giving more empirical underpinning to at least a few of the speculations in this book, its mental value has actually increased. Although you may not agree with the philosphical ...

Sweet Dreams: Philosophical Obstacles to a Science of Consciousness (Jean Nicod Lectures)

7 reviews
Daniel C. Dennett

The MIT Press, 2006

Consciousness Explained stands up to scrutiny
This book is essentially a follow-up to the author's previous work Consciousness Explained. Dennett revises and builds upon the ideas he put forward in that book, and addresses some of the criticism that has been leveled against his theory of consciousness in the intervening years. He also reviews some of the development (or lack thereof!) in the study of and debate over the question of ...

Feeling Pain and Being in Pain, 2nd Edition (Bradford Books)
Nikola Grahek

The MIT Press, 2007

In Feeling Pain and Being in Pain, Nikola Grahek examines two of the most radical dissociation syndromes to be found in human pain experience: pain without painfulness and painfulness without pain. Grahek shows that these two syndromes--the complete dissociation of the sensory dimension of pain from its affective, cognitive, and behavioral components, and its opposite, the dissociation of pain’s affective components from its ...

The Mind's I: Fantasies and Reflections on Self and Soul

15 reviews
Douglas Hofstadter, Daniel C. Dennett

Bantam, 1985

An I-opening experience
After writing the magnificent 'Godel, Escher, Bach', for which he won a Pulitzer Prize, computer scientist Douglas Hofstadter (a professor at my alma mater, Indiana University) collaborated with philosopher Daniel Dennett on this anthology of essays and stories that explore the areas of human and artificial intelligence. What is the mind? What is the self? Is there really a soul? Are feelings ...

Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon
Daniel C. Dennett

Allen Lane, 2006

Brainchildren: Essays on Designing Minds (Representation and Mind)

5 reviews
Daniel C. Dennett

The MIT Press, 1998

Excellent compilation of papers
This is an excellent compilation of Dennett's papers published in all the kinds of periodicals he likes to publish. If you like Dennett's work, go for it. However, this is no introduction to his work, and I think that readers unfamiliar with it would be a slightly out of context. If you're looking for an intro to his philosophy, you should really go for his "kinds of minds" at the science ...

The Intentional Stance (Bradford Books)

3 reviews
Daniel C. Dennett

The MIT Press, 1989

A Classic
I believe this work should be considered a classic given the enormous influence the articles in it have had on philosophy of mind, among other areas in philosophy. Much in here is stated more clearly about the Intentional Stance than it is in later works, such as Brain Children. That isn't a criticism. I think that around the time this work was published Dennett was more into legitimizing and ...

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