The
Rediscovery of the Mind (Representation and Mind)
by John R. Searle
Reviews
Book Description
"The computationalists have probably never
had such a powerful challenge as this book." - Anthony Gottlieb, New
York Times Book Review
"This is as entertaining as serious philosophy
gets." - Theodore Roszak, New Scientist
Synopsis
In this major new work, Searle launches
a formidable attack on current orthodoxies in the philosophy of mind. He
believes it is the neglect of consciousness that results in so much barrenness
and sterility in psychology, the philosophy of mind, and cognitive science
- there can be no study of mind that leaves ot consciousness.
From Thomas Nagel - The New York Review
of Books
According to a widely held
view, the brain is a giant computer and the relation of the human mind
to the human brain is like that of a computer program to the electronic
hardware on which it runs. The philosopher John Searle, a dragon-slayer
by temperament, has set out to show that this claim, together with the
materialist tradition underlying it, is nonsense. . . . If this pungent
book is right, the computer model of the mind is not just doubtful or imperfect,
but totally and glaringly absurd. . . . The Rediscovery of the Mind
is
trenchant, aggressive, and beautifully clear, in Searle's best 'What is
all this nonsense?' style. As an antidote to one of the dominant illusions
of our age, it deserves a wide audience.
From Anthony Gottlieb - The New York Times
Book Review
Mr. Searle's book takes aim
at the dogmas of cognitive science, the ruling philosophy behind much of
today's neurophysiology, linguistics, psychology and (above all) artificial
intelligence. . . . The most controversial part of the book - the part
that is likely to attract the most interest - is where he gives several
new reasons for rejecting the idea that the brain is a sophisticated digital
computer. . . . Physically speaking, there is no more reason to suppose
the brain is a computer than to suppose that the liver or the gut is one.
. . . The ranks of the computationalists have probably never had such a
powerful challenge as this book. And they will certainly make loud objections,
just as they have tried to muffle Mr. Searle's past raspberries. This is
not a fight to miss.
From Theodore Roszak - New Scientist
Searle has a distinctive intellectual
style. It combines razor-sharp analysis with a swaggering chip-on-the shoulder
impudence that many of his opponents might find intolerably abrasive were
it not for the good humour that pervades all he writes. This is a man who
likes a good philosophical brawl. His enjoyment shows on every page so
genuinely that even those who disagree with him root and branch - and there
will be many - are bound to like this book. This is as entertaining as
serious philosophy gets. . . . Searle takes on more arguments than I can
summarize here. He is at his best in the zealous demolition of artificial
intelligence and cognitive science for which he has become notorious. .
. . He works by instinct in a field where logical rigor is often impossible.
. . . Searle's major grievance with his colleagues may come down to their
unwillingness to be as honest as he is about what we can and cannot know
about the mind that must do the knowing.
From John H. Westerhoff - The Christian
Century
This seminal work confronts
contemporary orthodoxies in the philosophy of the mind and offers an important
alternative. . . . While the book is written in a clear, direct style and
is filled with persuasive examples, it is not for beginners. Assuming a
depth of knowledge in psychology, philosophy and cognitive science, it
engages the reader in serious reflection on foundational issues. . . .
Searle's insights are numerous and profound. They make possible the affirmation
that the spiritual life is composed of two interdependent and interpenetrating
dimensions, the sacred and the secular, the material and the non- material,
the rational and the non-rational. No thoughtful person should bypass this
brilliant, spirited book, for our neglect of consciousness has resulted
in barrenness and sterility in the life of the church. Searle's thesis
enables us to move toward uniting the best of the age of faith and the
age of reason.
About the Author
John R. Searle is the Mills Professor of
the Philosophy of Mind and Language at the University of California, Berkeley.
|
