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Ignorance And Imagination Advances A Novel Way To Resolve The Central Philosophical Problem About The Mind: How It Is That Consciousness Or Experience Fits Into A Larger Naturalistic Picture Of The World. The Correct Response To The Problem, Stoljar Argues, Is Not To Posit A Realm Of Experience Distinct From The Physical, Nor To Deny The Reality Of Phenomenal Experience, Nor Even To Rethink Our Understanding Of Consciousness And The Language We Use To Talk About It. Instead, We Should View The Problem Itself As A Consequence Of Our Ignorance Of The Relevant Physical Facts, Stoljar Shows That This Change Of Orientation Is Well Motivated Historically, Empirically, And Philosophically, And That It Has None Of The Side Effects It Is Sometimes Thought To Have. The Result Is A Philosophical Perspective On The Mind That Has A Number Of Far-reaching Consequences: For Consciousness Studies, For Our Place In Nature, And For The Way We Think About The Relationship Between Philosophy And Science.
This book investigates the persistent philosophical problem of how subjective consciousness fits within a physicalist, naturalistic worldview. Daniel Stoljar, a philosopher specializing in the philosophy of mind, challenges traditional dualist and reductionist approaches by proposing that the 'hard problem' of consciousness arises primarily from our ignorance of specific, yet-to-be-discovered physical facts. He argues that by shifting our orientation toward this ignorance, we can reconcile phenomenal experience with a scientific understanding of the world without resorting to metaphysical extremes.
What You Will Find
Scholars and philosophers frequently cite this work as a significant contribution to the debate surrounding physicalism and the nature of consciousness. Readers often note the rigorous analytical density of the prose, which is intended for an audience familiar with contemporary analytic philosophy.
Page Count:
262
Publication Date:
2009-01-01
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
ISBN-10:
0199723966
ISBN-13:
9780199723966
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