Fred Dretske's Books

Naturalizing The Mind

By: Fred Dretske

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Naturalizing the Mind skillfully develops a representational theory of the qualitative, the phenomenal, the what-it-is-like aspects of the mind that have defied traditional forms of naturalism. How can the baffling problems of phenomenal experience be accounted for? In this provocative book, Fred Dretske argues that to achieve an understanding of the mind it is not enough to understand the biological machinery by means of which the mind does its job. One must understand what the mind's job is and how this task can be performed by a physical system—the nervous system. Naturalizing the Mind skillfully develops a representational theory of the qualitative, the phenomenal, the what-it-is-like aspects of the mind that have defied traditional forms of naturalism. Central to Dretske's approach is the claim that the phenomenal aspects of perceptual experiences are one and the same as external, real-world properties that experience represents objects as having. Combined with an evolutionary account of sensory representation, the result is a completely naturalistic account of phenomenal consciousness. * Not for sale in France or Belgium.

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228

Publisher

MIT Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0262540894

ISBN 13

9780262540896

Knowledge and the Flow of Information

By: Fred I. Dretske

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Knowledge and the Flow of Information

By: Fred I. Dretske

This book presents an attempt to develop a theory of knowledge and a philosophy of mind using ideas derived from the mathematical theory of communication developed by Claude Shannon. Information is seen as an objective commodity defined by the dependency relations between distinct events. Knowledge is then analyzed as information caused belief. Perception is the delivery of information in analog form (experience) for conceptual utilization by cognitive mechanisms. The final chapters attempt to develop a theory of meaning (or belief content) by viewing meaning as a certain kind of information-carrying role.

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Page Count

288

Publisher

Center for the Study of Language and Information Publications

Published Date

ISBN 10

157586195X

ISBN 13

9781575861951

Naturalizing The Mind

By: Fred Dretske

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Naturalizing The Mind

By: Fred Dretske

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228

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MIT Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0262540894

ISBN 13

9780262540896

Explaining Behavior

Reasons in a World of Causes

By: Fred Dretske

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Explaining Behavior

Reasons in a World of Causes

By: Fred Dretske

Why do human beings move? In this lucid portrayal of human behavior, Fred Dretske provides an original account of the way reasons function in the causal explanation of behavior. Biological science investigates what makes our bodies move in the way they do. Psychology is interested in why persons—agents with reasons—move in the way they do. Dretske attempts to reconcile these different points of view by showing how reasons operate in a world of causes. He reveals in detail how the character of our inner states—what we believe, desire, and intend—determines what we do.

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186

Publisher

MIT Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0262540614

ISBN 13

9780262540612

Representation and Behavior

By: Fred Keijzer

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Representation and Behavior

By: Fred Keijzer

Keijzer provides a reconstruction of cognitive science's implicit representational explanation of behavior, which he calls Agent Theory (AT), the use of mind as a subpersonal mechanism of behavior. Representation is a fundamental concept within cognitive science. Most often, representations are interpreted as mental representations, theoretical entities that are the bearers of meaning and the source of intentionality. This approach views representation as the internal reflection of external circumstances—that is, as the end station of sensory processes that translate the environmental state of affairs into a set of mental representations. Fred Keijzer stresses, however, that representations are also the starting point for a set of processes that lead back to the external environment. They are used as theoretical components within an explanation of a person's outwardly visible behavior. In this book Keijzer investigates the usefulness of representation for behavioral explanation, irrespective of mental issues. Viewing representation solely in terms of its contribution to explaining behavior allows him to build a serious case for a nonrepresentational approach and to evaluate representation's role in cognitive science. Keijzer provides a reconstruction of cognitive science's implicit representational explanation of behavior, which he calls Agent Theory (AT). AT is the use of mind as a subpersonal mechanism of behavior. He proposes an alternative to AT called Behavioral Systems Theory (BST), which explains behavior as the result of interactions between an organism and its environment. Keijzer compares BST to related work in the biology of cognition, in the building of animal-like robots, and in dynamical systems theory. Most important, he extends BST to the difficult issue of anticipatory behavior through an analogy between behavior and morphogenesis, the process by which a multicellular body develops.

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289

Publisher

MIT Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0262263327

ISBN 13

9780262263320

What Philosophers Should Know About Truth

By: Fred Stoutland

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What Philosophers Should Know About Truth

By: Fred Stoutland

Fred Stoutland was a major figure in the philosophy of action and philosophy of language. This collection brings together essays on truth, language, action and mind and thus provides an important summary of many key themes in Stoutland’s own work, as well as offering valuable perspectives on key issues in contemporary philosophy.

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453

Publisher

Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG

Published Date

ISBN 10

3110618303

ISBN 13

9783110618303

Acquaintance, Ontology, and Knowledge

Collected Essays in Ontology

By: Fred Wilson

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Acquaintance, Ontology, and Knowledge

Collected Essays in Ontology

By: Fred Wilson

These essays bring together forty years of work in ontology. Intentionality, negation, universals, bare particulars, tropes, general facts, relations, the myth of the 'myth of the given', are among the topics covered. Bergmann, Quine, Sellars, Russell, Wittgenstein, Hume, Bradley, Hochberg, Dummett, Frege, Plato, are among the philosophers discussed. The essays criticize non-Humean notions of cause; they criticize the notion that besides simple atomic facts there are also negative facts and general facts. They defend a realism of properties as universals, against nominalism; bare particulars; a (qualified) realism with regard to logical form; a Russellian account of relations; and an account of minds and intentionality, which is opposed to materialism, but is also a form of (methodological) behaviourism. In general, the ontology is one of logical atomism and empiricist throughout, rooted in a Principle of Acquaintance.

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752

Publisher

Walter de Gruyter

Published Date

ISBN 10

3110327015

ISBN 13

9783110327014

Perception, Knowledge and Belief

Selected Essays

By: Fred Dretske

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Perception, Knowledge and Belief

Selected Essays

By: Fred Dretske

This collection of essays by eminent philosopher Fred Dretske brings together work on the theory of knowledge and philosophy of mind spanning thirty years. The two areas combine to lay the groundwork for a naturalistic philosophy of mind. The essays focus on perception, knowledge, and consciousness. Together, they show the interconnectedness of Dretske's work in epistemology and his more contemporary ideas on philosophy of mind, shedding light on the links that can be made between the two. This collection will be a valuable resource for a wide range of philosophers and their students, and will also be of interest to cognitive scientists, psychologists, and philosophers of biology.

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298

Publisher

Cambridge University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0521771811

ISBN 13

9780521771818

Explaining Behavior

Reasons in a World of Causes

By: Fred Dretske

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Explaining Behavior

Reasons in a World of Causes

By: Fred Dretske

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186

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MIT Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0262540614

ISBN 13

9780262540612

Perception, Knowledge and Belief

Selected Essays

By: Fred I. Dretske

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Perception, Knowledge and Belief

Selected Essays

By: Fred I. Dretske

Part I. Knowledge: 1. Conclusive reasons 2. Epistemic operators 3. The pragmatic dimension of knowledge 4. The epistemology of belief 5. Two conceptions of knowledge: rational vs. reliable belief Part II. Perception and Experience: 6. Simple seeing 7. Conscious experience 8. Differences that make no difference 9. The mind's awareness of itself 10. What good is consciousness Part III. Thought and Intentionality: 11. Putting information to work 12. If you can't make one, you don't know how it works 13. The nature of thought 14. Norms and the constitution of the mental 15. Minds, machines, and money: what really explains behavior.

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302

Publisher

Cambridge University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0521777429

ISBN 13

9780521777421

The Power of International Theory

Reforging the Link to Foreign Policy-Making through Scientific Enquiry

By: Fred Chernoff

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The Power of International Theory

Reforging the Link to Foreign Policy-Making through Scientific Enquiry

By: Fred Chernoff

This new study challenges how we think about international relations, presenting an analysis of current trends and insights into new directions. It shows how the discipline of international relations was created with a purpose of helping policy-makers to build a more peaceful and just world. However, many of the current trends, post-positivism, constructivism, reflectivism, and post-modernism share a conception of international theory that is inherently incapable of offering significant guidance to policy-makers. The Power of International Theory critically examines these approaches and offers a novel conventional-causal alternative that allows the reforging of a link between IR theory and policy-making. While recognizing the criticisms of earlier forms of positivism and behaviouralism, the book defends holistic testing of empirical principles, methodological pluralism, criteria for choosing the best theory, a notion of 'causality,' and a limited form of prediction, all of which are needed to guide policy-makers. This is an essential book for all students and scholars of international relations.

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Page Count

280

Publisher

Routledge

Published Date

ISBN 10

1135992401

ISBN 13

9781135992408

An Introduction to the Philosophy of Psychology

By: Daniel Weiskopf,Fred Adams

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An Introduction to the Philosophy of Psychology

By: Daniel Weiskopf,Fred Adams

Psychology aims to give us a scientific account of how the mind works. But what does it mean to have a science of the mental, and what sort of picture of the mind emerges from our best psychological theories? This book addresses these philosophical puzzles in a way that is accessible to readers with little or no background in psychology or neuroscience. Using clear and detailed case studies and drawing on up-to-date empirical research, it examines perception and action, the link between attention and consciousness, the modularity of mind, how we understand other minds, and the influence of language on thought, as well as the relationship between mind, brain, body, and world. The result is an integrated and comprehensive overview of much of the architecture of the mind, which will be valuable for both students and specialists in philosophy, psychology, and cognitive science.

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331

Publisher

Cambridge University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

1316239535

ISBN 13

9781316239537

Psyche and Brain

The Biology of Talking Cures

By: Fred M. Levin

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Psyche and Brain

The Biology of Talking Cures

By: Fred M. Levin

This book contains essential data necessary to develop both a learning theory and a theory of therapeutic change for psychoanalysis. It approaches how the mind-brain deals with the acquisition, transfer, modification, and utilization of information.

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352

Publisher

Routledge

Published Date

ISBN 10

0429903359

ISBN 13

9780429903359

Explaining Behavior

Reasons in a World of Causes

By: Fred I. Dretske

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Explaining Behavior

Reasons in a World of Causes

By: Fred I. Dretske

Why do human beings move? In this lucid and humorous portrayal of human behavior, Fred Dretske provides an original account of the way reasons function in the causal explanation of behavior.

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Page Count

165

Publisher

MIT Press (MA)

Published Date

ISBN 10

0262040948

ISBN 13

9780262040945

Perception, Knowledge and Belief

Selected Essays

By: Fred I. Dretske

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Perception, Knowledge and Belief

Selected Essays

By: Fred I. Dretske

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Solve jigsaw puzzle

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Page Count

302

Publisher

Cambridge University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0521777429

ISBN 13

9780521777421

Book's by Fred Dretske

Naturalizing The Mind

Naturalizing The Mind

Knowledge and the Flow of Information

Knowledge and the Flow of Information

Naturalizing The Mind

Naturalizing The Mind

Explaining Behavior

Explaining Behavior

Representation and Behavior

Representation and Behavior

What Philosophers Should Know About Truth

What Philosophers Should Know About Truth

Acquaintance, Ontology, and Knowledge

Acquaintance, Ontology, and Knowledge

Perception, Knowledge and Belief

Perception, Knowledge and Belief

Explaining Behavior

Explaining Behavior

Perception, Knowledge and Belief

Perception, Knowledge and Belief

The Power of International Theory

The Power of International Theory

An Introduction to the Philosophy of Psychology

An Introduction to the Philosophy of Psychology

Psyche and Brain

Psyche and Brain

Explaining Behavior

Explaining Behavior

Perception, Knowledge and Belief

Perception, Knowledge and Belief

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