It would be misguided to infer from the points we have been making that the philosophy of mind is the most basic area of philosophy: probably no part of philosophy can claim that title (except, though trivially, metaphysics). But it would not be an exaggeration to claim that issues in the philosophy of mind lie at the heart of almost every philosophical question, and that no progress can be made on the central problems of philosophy without due consideration being given to the questions about mind that inevitably arise. This is true of both epistemology and philosophy of language, areas which have, at different times, been proclaimed fundamental to philosophy in general. Perhaps this is not very surprising in view of the fact that so much of philosophy is concerned with understanding the relation between mind and reality.
The Character of Mind: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Mind
by Colin McGinn
The Character of Mind provides a sweeping and accessible general introduction to the philosophy of mind. Colin McGinn covers all of the main topics–the mind-body problem, the nature of acquaintance, the relation between thought and language, agency, and the self.In particular, McGinn addresses the issue of consciousness, and the difficulty of combining the two very different perspectives on the mind that arise from introspection and from the observation of other people. This second edition has been updated with three new cutting-edge chapters on consciousness, content, and cognitive science to make it the reader of choice on this vital topic,
(sk)
私たちは、まだ、心が語れるほどには進化していない。哲学といい、心理学といったところで、なにもわかってはいないのだ。
科学といっても、大きな自然の営みを、人間が説明しようとしているにすぎない。もっともらしい数式を並べたとしても、それで自然のすべてを説明できるわけでもない。
宗教が科学に置き換わっても、なにも変わらない。私たちは相変わらず、似たようなことを繰り返ししている。