Readings in Philosophy of Psychology, Volume II by Ned Block

by Ned Block

In this introduction to the philosophical problems underlying the modern study of mind and behavior, Ned Block has collected the most important papers by the major figures in the field. He provides the only central reference work now available for scholars and students in this growing area of inquiry. Volume I covers general approaches to the study of the behaviorism, reductionism, and functionalism.

Paperback

First published December 31, 1980

About the author

Ned Joel Block (born 1942) is an American philosopher working in the field of the philosophy of mind who has made important contributions to matters of consciousness and cognitive science. In 1971, he obtained his Ph.D. from Harvard University under Hilary Putnam. He went to Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) as an assistant professor of philosophy (1971-1977), worked as associate professor of philosophy (1977-1983), professor of philosophy (1983-1996) and served as chair of the philosophy section (1989-1995). He has, since 1996, been a professor in the departments of philosophy and psychology at New York University (NYU).

Reviews

[Steven H · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE SECOND VOLUME OF A HELPFUL ANTHOLOGY OF WRITINGS

Editor Ned Block (born 1942) is an American philosopher who is a professor in the departments of philosophy and psychology and at the Center for Neural Science at New York University (NYU). The first volume of this collection is 'Readings in Philosophy of Psychology, Volume I,' and a collection of his papers has been published: 'Consciousness, Function, and Representation: Collected Papers (Volume 1).'

He wrote in the Preface to this 1980 collection of papers, "It is increasingly clear that progress in philosophy of mind is greatly facilitated by knowledge of many areas of psychology and also that progress in psychology is facilitated by knowledge of philosophy... A host of crucial issues do not 'belong' to either philosophy or psychology, but rather fall equally well in both disciplines... until now there has been no general anthology intended as a text in philosophy of psychology. It is this gap that the present book, which appears in two volumes, is intended to fill." (Pg. v)

He explains, "This is the second volume ... It covers mental representation, imagery, the subject matter of grammar, and innate ideas---topics that are closely related to current psychological research." (Pg. v) He later adds, "no single anthology on the subject could possibly be comprehensive. The best one can do is pick a few topics and cover them in moderate depth..." (Pg. 6) Block also wrote helpful introductions for each section of the book.

Papers (or excerpts from books) are included from persons such as Peter Geach; Jerry Fodor; Daniel Dennett; Stephen Stich; Noam Chomsky; Hilary Putnam, and others.

Readers who appreciate this volume will almost certainly appreciate 'Mind and Cognition.'