Mind and the Machine, The: What It Means to Be Human and Why It Matters

Dickerson, Matthew

ISBN 10: 1587432722 / ISBN 13: 9781587432729

Published by Brazos Press, 2011

About this Item

Fairly worn, but readable and intact. If applicable: Dust jacket, disc or access code may not be included.

Seller Inventory # GICWV.1587432722.A

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Mind and the Machine, The: What It Means to Be Human and Why It Matters
• Publisher: Brazos Press
• Publication Date: 2011
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1587432722
• ISBN 13: 9781587432729
• Binding: Soft cover
• Condition: acceptable

About this title

Synopsis

What does it mean to be human? Some naturalists believe that the human mind can be reduced to brain biology, suggesting that we are no more than complex biochemical machines. Computer scientist Matthew Dickerson critiques a physicalist/naturalist view of human persons and defends theistic accounts of human nature. He responds to the widespread assertion that human consciousness is nothing more than "software" that can one day be downloaded into supercomputers. Drawing on C. S. Lewis and J. R. R. Tolkien, Dickerson gets at the heart of human nature itself, highlighting a far richer vision of personhood, creativity, and love. This thought-provoking book on a timely topic will appeal to those interested in science and religion, philosophy, and technology; readers of the materialist New Atheists; and anyone who simply cares what it means to be human.

About the Author

Matthew Dickerson (PhD, Cornell University) is professor of computer science and environmental studies at Middlebury College in Middlebury, Vermont, and the author of From Homer to Harry Potter; Narnia and the Fields of Arbol; and Ents, Elves, and Eriador. He is an internationally known Tolkien scholar and directs the New England Young Writers' Conference at Bread Loaf.