Description

Book Synopsis

For some, biology explains all there is to know about the mind. Yet many big questions remain: Is the mind shaped by genes or the environment? If mental traits are the result of adaptations built up over thousands of years, as evolutionary psychologists claim, how can such claims be tested? If the mind is a machine, as biologists argue, how does it allow for something as complex as human thought?

Revised and updated to take account of new developments in the field, The Biological Mind: A Philosophical Introduction explores these questions and more, using the philosophy of biology to introduce and assess the nature of the mind. Justin Garson addresses the following key topics:

  • moral psychology, altruism, and levels of selection;
  • evolutionary psychology and the adaptationism debate;
  • genes, environment, and the naturenurture debate;
  • natural selection and mental representation;
  • psychiatric classification and the ma

    Trade Review

    Praise for the first edition:

    'In this introductory volume, Garson offers a concise summary of several debates surrounding the interface between philosophy of biology and philosophy of mind. … Written with admirable clarity and wit, this book would make a great secondary text in an upper-level philosophy of biology or philosophy of mind course. Summing Up: Recommended.' - Philip Jenkins, CHOICE

    'In this accessible and interesting book, Justin Garson shows why philosophy matters to understanding the biology of the mind. Scientists have made great progress on questions about altruism, free will, consciousness, and the impact of genes on mental activity, but it takes a philosopher to provide the needed clarification, connection, and caution. Garson is that philosopher.' - Elliott Sober, University of Wisconsin - Madison, USA

    'A wonderful, clear, lively, informative, and extremely accessible book. It is a terrific introduction to the philosophy of mind for those who want to explore the relation between our biological and psychological natures.' - Karen Neander, Duke University, USA

    'A wide-ranging, well-informed, and highly readable introduction to current debates in the philosophy of mind and psychology, presented through the lens of philosophy of biology and general philosophy of science. Garson's biologically oriented approach to the issues makes so much sense, one can't help but wonder why it's not more standard in the literature; by rights, it should be.' - Philip Robbins, University of Missouri, USA



    Table of Contents

    Introduction 1. What is natural selection? 2. Do groups undergo selection? 3. Is natural selection the most powerful force of evolution? 4. Is evolution the foundation of psychology? 5. Do cultures evolve? 6. Is anything innate? 7. Are people altruistic? 8. What are mental representations? 9. What are mental disorders? 10. Did racial classification evolve? 11. Are there evolved psychological sex differences? 12. Does human nature exist? Glossary Index

The Biological Mind

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    A Paperback by Justin Garson

    15 in stock


      View other formats and editions of The Biological Mind by Justin Garson

      Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd
      Publication Date: 3/17/2022 12:00:00 AM
      ISBN13: 9780367466312, 978-0367466312
      ISBN10: 0367466317

      Description

      Book Synopsis

      For some, biology explains all there is to know about the mind. Yet many big questions remain: Is the mind shaped by genes or the environment? If mental traits are the result of adaptations built up over thousands of years, as evolutionary psychologists claim, how can such claims be tested? If the mind is a machine, as biologists argue, how does it allow for something as complex as human thought?

      Revised and updated to take account of new developments in the field, The Biological Mind: A Philosophical Introduction explores these questions and more, using the philosophy of biology to introduce and assess the nature of the mind. Justin Garson addresses the following key topics:

      • moral psychology, altruism, and levels of selection;
      • evolutionary psychology and the adaptationism debate;
      • genes, environment, and the naturenurture debate;
      • natural selection and mental representation;
      • psychiatric classification and the ma

        Trade Review

        Praise for the first edition:

        'In this introductory volume, Garson offers a concise summary of several debates surrounding the interface between philosophy of biology and philosophy of mind. … Written with admirable clarity and wit, this book would make a great secondary text in an upper-level philosophy of biology or philosophy of mind course. Summing Up: Recommended.' - Philip Jenkins, CHOICE

        'In this accessible and interesting book, Justin Garson shows why philosophy matters to understanding the biology of the mind. Scientists have made great progress on questions about altruism, free will, consciousness, and the impact of genes on mental activity, but it takes a philosopher to provide the needed clarification, connection, and caution. Garson is that philosopher.' - Elliott Sober, University of Wisconsin - Madison, USA

        'A wonderful, clear, lively, informative, and extremely accessible book. It is a terrific introduction to the philosophy of mind for those who want to explore the relation between our biological and psychological natures.' - Karen Neander, Duke University, USA

        'A wide-ranging, well-informed, and highly readable introduction to current debates in the philosophy of mind and psychology, presented through the lens of philosophy of biology and general philosophy of science. Garson's biologically oriented approach to the issues makes so much sense, one can't help but wonder why it's not more standard in the literature; by rights, it should be.' - Philip Robbins, University of Missouri, USA



        Table of Contents

        Introduction 1. What is natural selection? 2. Do groups undergo selection? 3. Is natural selection the most powerful force of evolution? 4. Is evolution the foundation of psychology? 5. Do cultures evolve? 6. Is anything innate? 7. Are people altruistic? 8. What are mental representations? 9. What are mental disorders? 10. Did racial classification evolve? 11. Are there evolved psychological sex differences? 12. Does human nature exist? Glossary Index

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