Minding the Brain

"This will be essential reading for anyone interested in the nature of consciousness. It is wonderful to see an accomplished neuroscientist and philosopher craft such a comprehensive, and sorely needed, account of this interdisciplinary topic." - Jakob Hohwy, Philosophy & Cognition Lab, Monash University, Australia "With great clarity and panache, Northoff abstracts the history of consciousness and the biology of mind into crystal clear arguments that all students of philosophy and neuroscience will appreciate. This superb text will become a treasured resource for all who wish to understand both historical and future trajectories of reasoning about our mental apparatus." - Jaak Panksepp, Professor of Neuroscience and Baily Endowed Chair of Animal Well-Being Science, Washington State University, USA "Minding the Brain is a very rich work of original synthesis and integration. In clear and inspired prose Northoff guides the reader through some of the hottest issues in cognitive neuroscience and philosophy of mind. A must read." - Vittorio Gallese MD, Professor of Physiology, Department of Neuroscience, University of Parma, Italy

This book explores how the relationship between philosophy and the brain can inform neuroscience, the mind-brain problem and debates about consciousness. Written in a lively style with extensive pedagogy to explain complex concepts, this is interesting reading for students and researchers of psychology, neuroscience and philosophy.Neuroscience has raised many questions for philosophy and its traditional focus on the mind, but what does the emerging field of neurophilosophy teach us about the relationship between mind and brain? How have the new debates transformed our understanding of consciousness, the self and free will?

Georg Northoff is a world-leading expert in this exciting area, and in Minding the Brain he provides a comprehensive introduction to non-reductive neurophilosophy, charting the developments of the discipline and applying its ideas to the debates that have captivated philosophers for centuries.

Minding the Brain:
• employs extensive pedagogy to help the reader get to grips with complex concepts
• takes a transdisciplinary approach unifying science, psychology and philosophy

Unearthing new ways to tackle age-old debates, Minding the Brain is a stimulating text for
anyone interested in philosophy, psychology, the cognitive sciences and neuroscience.