Cover of Mind in Life: Biology, Phenomenology, and the Sciences of Mind

Mind in Life: Biology, Phenomenology, and the Sciences of Mind

Evan Thompson asks how life and the mind are connected, a puzzle that has troubled thinkers for generations. Rather than accepting a sharp divide between living matter and conscious experience, he argues the two are far more continuous than many accounts allow.

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Drawing on molecular biology, evolutionary theory, complex systems, neuroscience and continental phenomenology alongside analytic philosophy, he proposes that living systems and minds share basic principles of self-organisation, with the mind representing a richer form of what life already does. The book aims to deepen our understanding of both life and consciousness, and it follows on from the author's earlier collaborative work on embodied cognition.

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adult

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Liked Mind in Life: Biology, Phenomenology, and the Sciences of Mind? Here’s where I’d start.

These suit anyone who liked Mind in Life: Biology, Phenomenology, and the Sciences of Mind. Sign in and mark a few books for picks shaped around your own taste.

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“If you want more of the same (philosophy), start with these.”

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“If it was the cognitive science that hooked you, try one of these.”

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“These start from a similar idea, even if they go somewhere else with it.”

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