The Mind Body Problem

This book, which is historical, dialectical and opinionated, presents the mind-body problem as a debate between materialists about the mind and their opponents. It argues for a certain point of view, in particular for a Materialist solution to the problem. The relation of mind to body has been argued about by philosophers for centuries. The Mind-Body Problem: An Opinionated Introduction presents the problem as a debate between materialists about the mind and their opponents. After examining the views of Descartes, Hume, and Thomas Huxley the debate is traced through the twentieth century to present day. The emphasis is always on the arguments used and the way one position develops from another. By the end of the book the reader is afforded both a grasp of the state of the controversy and how we got there.