Daniel Dennett (Contemporary Philosophy in Focus) - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0521803942 ISBN 13: 9780521803946

Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 2002

Synopsis

Author of such groundbreaking and influential books as Consciousness Explained and Darwin's Dangerous Idea, Daniel C. Dennett has reached a huge general and professional audience that extends far beyond the confines of academic philosophy. Dennett has made significant contributions to the study of consciousness, the development of the child's mind, cognitive ethnology, explanation in the social sciences, artificial intelligence, and evolutionary theory. This volume is the only truly introductory collection that traces these connections, explores the implications of Dennett's work, and furnishes the non-specialist with a fully-rounded account of why Dennett is such an important voice on the philosophical scene. Andrew Brook is Professor of Philosophy, Director of the Institute of Interdisciplinary Studies and Chair of the Cognitive Science Ph.D. at Carlton University. He co-authored Knowledge and Mind with Robert Stainton (MIT Press, 2000) and authored Kant and the Mind (Cambridge, 1994). He has co-edited three books including Dennett's Philosophy: A Comprehensive Assessment with Don Ross and David Thompson (MIT Press, 2000). Don Ross is Professor of Economics and Convenor of the Programme in Philosophy, Politics and Economics at the University of Cape Town. He is the author of numerous articles on the philosophy of cognitive science and the foundations of micoreconomics and game theory, and is co-editor of Dennett's Philosophy: A Comprehensive Assessment with Andrew Brook and David Thompson (MIT Press, 2000). He has presented lectures widely in his native Canada and in the United States, Europe, Africa and Australia.

About this title

Review

Daniel Dennett is a close look at one of the most significant living American philosophers. The book is part of Cambridge University Press's Contemporary Philosophy in Focus series, which highlights today's major philosophers. Indeed, Dennett's writings have had enormous consequences for our understanding of artificial intelligence, game theory, neuroscience, and developmental psychology, among other matters.

The book does not require an intimate knowledge of Dennett's work nor a specialist's interest in the philosophy of mind. Instead, editors Andrew Brook and Don Ross have assembled a disparate group of contributors to elucidate "the influence Dennett has had beyond the bounds of academic philosophy." Readers will find an insightful overview of Dennett's philosophy, as well as expert explanations of his significance in a variety of fields. The book is in some respects a tribute to Dennett--the introduction is a fond perspective on a great mind--but the essays themselves engage Dennett's thought with respectful criticism even while they demonstrate his importance. --Eric de Place

Book Description

Contemporary Philosophy in Focus will offer a series of introductory volumes of newly commissioned essays to many of the dominant philosophical thinkers of the current age.Author of books such as Consciousness Explained and Darwin's Dangerous Idea, Daniel C. Dennett has reached a huge general and professional audience that extends beyond philosophy to the study of consciousness , the development of the child's mind, cognitive ethnology, explanation in the social sciences, artificial intelligence, and evolutionary theory. This volume is the only truly introductory collection that explores the implications of Dennett's work.

Edition details

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Publication date: 2002
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0521803942
• ISBN 13: 9780521803946
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 320
• Editor: Brook Andrew, Ross Don