Thinking about Consciousness

by David Papineau

Overview

The relation between subjective consciousness and the physical brain is widely regarded as the last mystery facing science. Papineau argues that consciousness seems mysterious not because of any hidden essence, but only because we think about it in a special way. He exposes the resulting potential for confusion, and shows that much scientific study of consciousness is misconceived.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780199243822
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	08/22/2002
Series:	Oxford Readings in Philosophy (Hardcover)
Pages:	280
Product dimensions:	8.60(w) x 5.40(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

David Papineau is Professor of Philosophy at King's College London. His books include Theory and Meaning (Clarendon Press 1979), Reality and Representation (Blackwell 1987), Philosophical Naturalism (Blackwell 1993), and The Philosophy of Science (Oxford Readings in Philosophy 1996).

Table of Contents

PrefaceIntroduction1. The Case for Materialism2. Conceptual Dualism3. The Impossibility of Zombies4. Phenomenal Concepts5. The Explanatory Gap6. The Intuition of Distinctness7. Prospects for the Scientific Study of Phenomenal ConsciousnessAppendix: The History of the Completeness of Physics