A very lucid introduction to contrmporary philosophy of mind

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	• Philosophy of Mind (Dimensions of Philosophy) Jaegwon Kim Westview Press, 2005 - 352 pages average customer review:based on 5 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

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 recency of publication, many of the ideas presented represent Kim's latest thinking on the problems, sometimes involving modifications of earlier positions he has advocated.

If one is interested in the intersection of cognitive science and philosophy of mind this is definitely not the book for you. More appropriate would be Andy Clark's "Mindware: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Cognitive Science", Tim Crane's "The Mechanical Mind", or Churchland's "Matter and Consciousness", the last of which is particularly good at relating philosophy of mind to cognitive neuroscience, although Churchland's treatment could stand to be updated. There is no attempt by Kim to engage with empirical research in any matter whatsoever. So someone inspired by the work of, for example, Daniel Dennett in "Consciousness Explained" should definitely look elsewhere.

I am a bit surprised to read a 338 page guide to the philosophy of mind that nowhere mentions Daniel Dennett, Colin McGinn, or the Churchlands. There is also no discussion of the language of thought hypothesis. In addition, nowhere will one find discussions of personal identity or free will, which I suppose is appropriate given the aims of the book. What we find are the bare bones big topics in academic philosophy of mind: dualism, psychoneural identity theory, functionalism, mental causation, consciousness, mental content (i.e. externalism and internalism), and reductionism. If one is looking for a more accessible outsider's guide to philosophy of mind, one could do worse than Searle's "Mind: An Introduction". But if the above topics are the ones that interest you, there is no better place than Kim's book to get a grounding in them.

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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.

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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.

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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."

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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 philosophy of mind has always been a staple of the philosophy curriculum. But it has never held a more important place than it does today, with both traditional problems and new topics often sparked by the developments in the psychological, cognitive, and computer sciences. Jaegwon Kim?s Philosophy of Mind is the classic, comprehensive survey of the subject. Now in its second edition, Kim explores, maps, and interprets this complex and exciting terrain. Designed as an introduction to the field for upper-level undergraduates and graduate students, Philosophy of Mind focuses on the mind/body problem and related issues, some touching on the status of psychology and cognitive science. The second edition features a new chapter on Cartesian substance dualism-a perspective that has been little discussed in the mainstream philosophy of mind and almost entirely ignored in most introductory books in philosophy of mind. In addition, all the chapters have been revised and updated to reflect the trends and developments of the last decade. Throughout the text, Kim allows readers to come to their own terms with the central problems of the mind. At the same time, the author?s own emerging views are on display and serve to move the discussion forward. Comprehensive, clear, and fair, Philosophy of Mind is a model of philosophical exposition. It is a major contribution to the study and teaching of the philosophy of mind.

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