Deconstructing the Mind (Philosophy of Mind)

During the past two decades, debates over the viability of commonsense psychology have occupied center stage in both cognitive science and the philosophy of mind. A group of prominent philosophers known as eliminativists argue that advances in cognitive science and neuroscience will ultimately justify a rejection of our folk theory of mind because it gives a radically mistaken account of mental life. In Deconstructing the Mind, distinguished philosopher Stephen Stich, once a leading advocate of eliminativism, offers a bold and compelling reassessment of this view. The book opens with a groundbreaking multi-part essay in which Stich maintains that even if the sciences develop in the ways that eliminativists foresee, none of the arguments for ontological elimination are tenable. Succeeding essays explore folk psychology in more detail, develop a systematic critique of simulation theory, and counter widespread concern about naturalizing psychological properties.

Stephen Stich is Professor of Philosophy and Cognitive Science at Rutgers University and Professor of Philosophy at the City University of New York Graduate Center.