The Prehistory of Cognitive Science

by A. Brook

Overview

With contributions from leading figures, this book traces the philosophical roots behind contemporary understandings of cognition. The book presents a convincing case for the centrality of philosophy to the history of neuroscience and cognitive psychology and discusses how ideas have developed, influenced and moulded our view of the mind.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780230013391
Publisher:	Palgrave Macmillan UK
Publication date:	11/14/2006
Edition description:	2006
Pages:	272
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.75(d)

About the Author

ARTHUR L. BLUMENTHAL Berkley College of New York City, USA
NOAM CHOMSKY Institute Professor Emeritus of Linguistics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA
MARCELO DASCAL Professor of Philosophy, Tel Aviv University, Israel
TRACY B. HENLEY Professor of Psychology, Mississippi State University, USA
ANNE JAAP JACOBSON Professor of Philosophy and Engineering, Associate Director of the Center for Neuro-Engineering and Cognitive Science, University of Houston, USA
PATRICIA KITCHER Department Chair, Professor of Philosophy, University of Columbia, USA
STELLAN OHLSSON Chair of the Cognitive Division, Department of Psychology, University of Illinois at Chicago, USA
DON ROSS Professor Philosophy and Economics, University of Alabama at Birmingham, USA
PETER SIMONS Professor of Philosophy, Director of the Centre for Metaphysics and Mind, University of Leeds, UK

Table of Contents

List of Contributors Preface Introduction PART I: THE ROOTS OF COGNITIVE SCIENCE IN THE EARLY MODERN ERA The Separation of Thought and Action in Western Tradition; S.Ohlsson Language and Thought: Descartes and Some Reflections on Venerable Themes; N.Chomsky Hobbes' Challenge; M.Dascal Doing It His Way: Hume's Theory of Ideas and Contemporary Cognitive Science; A.J.Jacobson Kant and Cognitive Science; A.Brook PART II: INNOVATIONS IN THE NINETEENTH CENTURY The Early Darwinians, Natural Selection and Cognitive Science; D.Ross Wundt's Theoretical Psychology: An Unknown Legacy From a Gilded Age; A.L.Blumenthal Frege: Furnishing Formal Foundations; P.Simons Remembering William James; T.B.Henley Freud's Interdisciplinary Fiasco; P.Kitcher

Editorial Reviews

'A useful collection tracing some of the rarely-acknowledged sources of ideas in cognitive science.' - Maggie Boden, Research Professor of Cognitive Science, University of Sussex, UK

'One attraction, and challenge, of cognitive science is the range of disciplines it integrates. A scientific theory of mind requires, it now appears, ideas from fields as diverse as computation, evolution, neurobiology, and physics. The Prehistory of Cognitive Science admirably explores many central ideas in contemporary cognitive science, and provides an illuminating historical context in which to better understand the provenance of current conceptions and debates. Its focus on key ideas and their most influential proponents makes the book ideal for the reader who wants a concise, and engaging, intellectual history of the field.' - Donald D. Hoffman, Professor of Philosophy, Department of Cognitive Science, University of California, Irvine, USA

'This collection is accessible to a broad audience and the essays together serve as a good introduction to major figures in the history of psychology and philosophy, as well as contemporary trends in cognitive science.' - Michael Losonsky, Pragmatics& Cognition

'Andrew Brook has edited a fascinating volume of chapters on diverse topics in the history of the cognitive sciences For any student of cognition and its history, The Prehistory of Cognitive Science is thoroughly recommended' Perception

From the Publisher