- Title: The Substance of Consciousness: A Comprehensive Defense of Contemporary Substance Dualism
- Publish Date: 10/24/2023
- Discount:
- Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell
- Audience: Advanced, Intermediate
- Kingdom Categories: Life of the Mind
Description:
In The Substance of Consciousness, Brandon Rickabaugh and I deliver a unique and powerful defense of contemporary substance dualism. Our book makes the claim that the human person is an embodied fundamental, immaterial, and unifying substance. We offer a multidisciplinary approach, exploring areas of philosophy, cognitive science, neuroscience, and the sociology of mind-body beliefs.
We seek to present the most comprehensive, up-to-date, and rigorous non-edited work on substance dualism in the field, as well as a detailed history of how property and substance dualism have been presented and evaluated over the last 150 years. Alongside developing new and updated positive arguments for substance dualism, we also discuss key metaphysical notions and distinctions that inform the examination of substance dualism and its alternatives.
Readers will also find:
- A thorough examination of the recent shift away from standard physicalism and the renaissance of substance dualism.
- Comprehensive explorations of the likely future of substance dualism in the twenty-first century, including an exhaustive list of proposed research projects for substance dualists.
- Practical discussion of new and rigorous critiques of significant physicality alternatives, including emergentism and panpsychism.
- Extensive treatments of philosophy of mind debates about the roles played by staunch/faint-hearted naturalism and theism in establishing or presuming methodology, epistemic priorities, and prior metaphysical commitments.
We think this unique volume will be perfect for professional philosophers, and also earn a place in the libraries of consciousness researchers, philosophical theologians, and religious studies scholars.
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Benefits: Related content: If The Substance of Consciousness interests you, you might also want to consider the following:
Table of Contents: Part I Ontologically Serious Philosophy of Mind: Contemporary and Tenacious Insights
1. Substance Dualism in the 21st Century.
2. How Staunch Naturalism Shapes the Dialectic in Philosophy of Mind.
3. A Brief Ontological Detour: Subjects, Parts, Wholes, and Unity.
Part II Arguments from Introspection, Self-Awareness, and Intentionality
4. The Nature of Introspection and Arguments for Substance Dualism.
5. From Self-Awareness and Intentionality to the Immaterial Self.
Part III On the Fundamental Unity of Conscious Beings
6. From Phenomenal Unity to the Synchronic Unity of the Immaterial Self.
7. Mereological Essentialism and the Diachronic Endurance of the Soul.
Part IV Updated and Novel Arguments from Modality and Libertarian Freedom
8. Updating Modal Arguments for Substance Dualism.
9. Staunch Libertarian Agency and a Simple, Enduring Soul.
Part V: New and Neglected Responses to Common Defeaters Against Substance Dualism
10. Important and Recited Defeaters Against Substance Dualism.
Part V: Charting a Future for Substance Dualism
11. New Research Programs for 21st Century Substance Dualism.
APPENDIX: Neuroscience, Mental Action, and the Conservation Laws.
by Mihretu P. Guta
Bibliography
Endorsements:
"This book is a tour de force on the topic of consciousness. The authors offer a depth of analysis that interacts with the latest and best work on this topic in recent years." (Joshua Rasmussen)
"Moreland and Rickabaugh's monograph is a first-rate treatment of the important issues concerning the existence and nature of the soul. The book will be of interest to philosophers and theologians alike. I highly recommend it." (Stewart Goetz)
“Rickabaugh and Moreland have produced a tour de force in this brilliant, systematic case for substance dualism. It is a treasure trove of arguments, objections and replies that should be required reading in philosophy of mind today, challenging the current, ingrained prejudice against dualism.” (Charles Taliaferro)
“Moreland and Rickabaugh have written the most comprehensive, up-to-date, and sophisticated defense of substance dualism available today. They tackle quite successfully every anti-dualist argument in the literature, demonstrating both the variety of options available to dualists and the fruitfulness of the dualist framework for future research, both scientific and philosophical. Especially impressive is their skill in drawing on Aristotelian, scholastic, and 19th century sources (Brentano, Husserl) to develop an attractive synthesis of dualism with hylomorphism. They bring to philosophy of mind theoretical resources, including the metaphysics of mereology, that are badly needed in today’s debates.” (Robert Koons)
Reviews:
Get it and read it. JP’s book The Soul; was a phenomenal introduction to the subject and I’m expecting this to be a deep dive. Can’t wait.