false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1159814099m/2074.jpg 2074 8 In <I>Consciousness Explained</I>, Daniel Dennett embarks on the audacious task of explaining human consciousness. He sets his sights even higher for <I>Kinds of Minds</I>, attempting to provide a more general explanation of consciousness. But don't be put off: the book is short, easy to read, and makes a good introduction to Dennett's richly interdisciplinary oeuvre. While beginners will appreciate Dennett's appeals to intuitive moral considerations to emphasize the importance of investigating consciousness, there is much in the book to hold the attention of readers already familiar with his previous work.<p> At the beginning of <I>Kinds of Minds</I> Dennett asks, "What kinds of minds are there? And how do we know?" These two questions--the first ontological, the second epistemological--set the agenda for the book. Intuitions untutored by theory are not capable of answering these questions, Dennett argues, making it necessary to pursue insight from the evolutionary point of view. Accordingly, subsequent chapters are devoted to phylogenetic speculations about agency and intentionality, sensitivity and sentience, and perception and behavior. Particularly charming is the series of squiggly amoebas--the Darwinian, Skinnerian, Popperian, and Gregorian creatures--that illustrates the hierarchy of cognitive power. In the final chapter, Dennett returns to the original two questions, ending not with their answers, but, he hopes, with "better versions of the questions themselves." <I>--Glenn Branch</I> 266790 1996 Kinds of Minds: Towards an Understanding of Consciousness (Science Masters Series) total:115|5:24|4:40|3:46|2:2|1:3| 115 425 196 13 4 7 false false Tue Oct 20 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Tue Oct 20 08:44:38 -0700 2009 Tue Oct 20 09:31:15 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Mon Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Mon Sep 01 23:04:56 -0700 2008 Mon Sep 01 23:06:03 -0700 2008 more...]]> 3 0 false false Wed Mar 04 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Fri Feb 20 11:17:46 -0800 2009 Tue Mar 10 12:57:10 -0700 2009 more...]]> 1 0 false false Thu Nov 12 18:56:10 -0800 2009 Thu Nov 12 19:00:32 -0800 2009 3 0 false false Wed Jul 29 14:50:23 -0700 2009 Wed Aug 19 20:34:42 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Thu Apr 09 19:54:35 -0700 2009 Tue Apr 28 18:48:02 -0700 2009
]]> 3 1 false false Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Sun Jan 06 14:02:17 -0800 2008 Sun Jan 06 14:33:54 -0800 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Thu Jul 12 18:31:17 -0700 2007 Fri Nov 09 22:25:25 -0800 2007 more...]]> 3 0 false false Thu Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2005 Mon Oct 01 13:10:10 -0700 2007 Mon Oct 01 13:16:52 -0700 2007 Kinds of Minds attempts to explore consciousness through biological and philosophical lenses. While he doesn't use the most advanced brain-scanning science to back up some of his beliefs, his intuitions are easy to follow. His conclusions ...more...]]> 3 0 false false Sat Oct 11 18:06:11 -0700 2008 Wed Oct 29 09:37:16 -0700 2008 3 0 false false Thu Sep 04 21:47:19 -0700 2008 Thu Sep 04 21:49:08 -0700 2008 3 0 false false Sat Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Wed Feb 13 09:41:54 -0800 2008 Wed Feb 13 10:51:02 -0800 2008 2 0 false false Sat Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Tue Oct 30 15:25:54 -0700 2007 Tue Oct 30 15:31:08 -0700 2007 0 0 false false Tue Nov 24 20:37:04 -0800 2009 Tue Nov 24 20:37:04 -0800 2009 4 0 false false Wed Nov 18 13:50:57 -0800 2009 Wed Nov 18 13:50:57 -0800 2009 5 0 false false Sun Nov 15 14:53:12 -0800 2009 Sun Nov 15 14:53:16 -0800 2009 3 0 false false Mon Nov 09 21:36:55 -0800 2009 Mon Nov 09 21:36:55 -0800 2009 3 0 false false Fri Nov 06 02:04:44 -0800 2009 Fri Nov 06 02:04:44 -0800 2009 0 0 false false Tue Nov 03 22:08:37 -0800 2009 Tue Nov 03 22:08:37 -0800 2009 0 0 false false Sat Oct 31 22:50:12 -0700 2009 Sat Oct 31 22:50:12 -0700 2009 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=2074