Quintessence of Dust: The Science of Matter and the Philosophy of MindQuintessence of Dust by Harry Redner argues for a science of matter and a philosophy of mind based on emergence. Mind emerges from matter through five essential stages – “quintessence” (Hamlet). Human mind is differentiated from animal mind primarily by reference to art (Homo ludens). This approach draws support from Donald, Edelman and other palaeoanthropologists, psychologists and neurologists. The emergent relation between two entities is defined as an indissoluble non-identity. The “mind as machine” thesis, artificial intelligence and cognitivism are criticised. The alternative emergentist approach comes close to Spinoza. The book attempts a synthesis of the natural sciences, social sciences and humanities based on philosophic premises. "... I find the core of the argument, as well as its exposition, coherent, convincing and illuminating ... I put Quintessence of Dust in the top 5% of books in the field." -Miguel Candel Sanmartin, University of Barcelona, in Thesis Eleven August 2022 |
Contents
Prelude | 1 |
The Science of Matter | 17 |
The Science of Mind | 103 |
The Philosophy of Mind | 225 |
Postlude | 345 |
| 353 | |
| 363 | |
Other editions - View all
Quintessence of Dust: The Science of Matter and the Philosophy of Mind Harry Redner No preview available - 2020 |
Common terms and phrases
animal mind Antonio Damasio apes approach argue basic behaviour biology Boden body brain called capacity Cartesian Cartesian Materialism causal century chapter Chomsky cognitive science Cognitivism Cognitivist complex concept consciousness constitute context crucial culture Cybernetics Damasio Deacon Descartes Edelman emer emergence of mind Evan Thompson evolution evolutionary explain Freud functions fundamental gence genetic Gerald Edelman Gibson gofai Hamlet Hence hominin human mind Husserl Ibid idea issue J.J. Gibson John Horgan kind language learning linguistic logic of emergence mathematical means mechanical memory mental Merlin Donald mimetic Mind as Machine mind/brain system MIT-Mind modules nature neural neurological neurons organism Paul Humphreys perception phenomena Phenomenology philosophy of mind physics possible problem processes psychology purely relation role scientific scientists self-consciousness self-organization sense social species Spinoza stage Steven Weinberg structure symbolic theory things Thompson tion Turing unconscious University whole