Mind: An Introduction To Cognitive Science - Hardcover

Thagard, Paul

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0262201542 ISBN 13: 9780262201544

Publisher: Mit Pr, 2005

Synopsis

Cognitive science approaches the study of mind and intelligence from an interdisciplinary perspective, working at the intersection of philosophy, psychology, artificial intelligence, neuroscience, linguistics, and anthropology. With Mind, Paul Thagard offers an introduction to this interdisciplinary field for readers who come to the subject with very different backgrounds. It is suitable for classroom use by students with interests ranging from computer science and engineering to psychology and philosophy.

Thagard's systematic descriptions and evaluations of the main theories of mental representation advanced by cognitive scientists allow students to see that there are many complementary approaches to the investigation of mind. The fundamental theoretical perspectives he describes include logic, rules, concepts, analogies, images, and connections (artificial neural networks). The discussion of these theories provides an integrated view of the different achievements of the various fields of cognitive science.

This second edition includes substantial revision and new material. Part I, which presents the different theoretical approaches, has been updated in light of recent work the field. Part II, which treats extensions to cognitive science, has been thoroughly revised, with new chapters added on brains, emotions, and consciousness. Other additions include a list of relevant Web sites at the end of each chapter and a glossary at the end of the book. As in the first edition, each chapter concludes with a summary and suggestions for further reading.

About this title

About the Author

Paul Thagard is Professor of Philosophy, Psychology, and Computer Science, and Director of the Cognitive Science Program at the University of Waterloo. He is the author of Coherence in Thought and Action (MIT Press, 2000) and Mind: Introduction to Cognitive Science (second edition, MIT Press, 2005).

Review

This little gem of a book has three major virtues. First, it is easy to read and easy to understand. Second, it clearly states the central thesis of cognitive science and precisely lays out the explanatory patterns underlying various theories of cognition. Third, the book is unique in its presentation of the material, arranging it along various types of knowledge representations such as rules, concepts, and images.

(Ashok Goel, College of Computing, Georgia Institute of Technology)

The second edition of Mind represents a significant advance for an already excellent book. My enthusiasm for continuing to use Thagard's accessible and consistently informative volume for Berkeley's large Introduction to Cognitive Science course has been fully refreshed, as the updates in the new edition have made it a superb text for undergraduates.

(Michael Ranney, Graduate School of Education, Department of Psychology, and the Institute for Cognitive and Brain Sciences, University of California, Berkeley)

Edition details

• Publisher: Mit Pr
• Publication date: 2005
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0262201542
• ISBN 13: 9780262201544
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 266