Mindmelding by Hirstein, William -- Read -- Imperial Library of Trantor

Index

Cover Contents 1 The impasse

Is the mind private? The possibility of mindmelding Assertions of privacy Ten popular (but false) claims Conclusion

2 An alternative framework

Introduction Making mindmelding conceivable Sense of self The brain’s higher-level architecture: a hypothesis Binding Mindmelding Conclusion

3 The brain and its cortex

Introduction Neurons Sensing the world, and ourselves Functional systems Approaches to consciousness Executive processes Conclusion

4 Consciousness

Introduction The neuroscience of binding What is the relation between consciousness and binding? Visual consciousness What is the function of binding? Where are conscious states? Conclusion

5 Preparing representations

Introduction Filling-in Where are colors? Objections and replies The apparent completeness and consistency of conscious states Conclusion

6 Executive processes

Introduction Sensory and mnemonic representations remain in posterior cortex The ensemble of executive processes The anatomy and physiology of the prefrontal cortex We are not directly aware of executive processes Are active prefrontal connections necessary for posterior conscious states? Access consciousness versus phenomenal consciousness Bare consciousness Conclusion

7 Sense of self

Introduction Six senses of “self” Making self-representations The psychology of executive processes We are not directly aware of the psychological Is consciousness without a sense of self possible? Conclusion

8 The reality and importance of the executive self

Introduction Acknowledging executive activity as ours The relation between executive processes and self-representations Personality: the executive and emotional selves Skepticism about the psychological self Conscious action Is the self merely a creation of confabulation? Questions about unity Conclusion

9 Sharing conscious states

Introduction What sort of possibility? Cleaving representations and executive processes White matter fiber tracts Mindmelding thought experiments Mindmelding versus mindreading Mindmelding technology Objections and replies Conclusion

10 Mindtalk

Introduction Folk psychology What sentences say Attributing mental states Putting the approach to work Self as inner actor: a folk-psychological metaphor First-person attributions Describing mindmelding Objections and replies Conclusion

11 Disentangling self and consciousness

Introduction Problems of the mental and problems of the physical in general The metaphysician’s toolchest Categories of existence Basic metaphysical categories of mind Physical definitions Our knowledge of things, properties, and facts Inseparability Privacy and inseparability Creating metaphysical categories Conclusion

12 Representation and consciousness

Introduction Representational states Routes of access The relation between consciousness and representation Schematic version of the hypothesis Misrepresentation How to tell what is represented Are there mental representations? Higher-order thought theories “Representations” without executive contact Inhibiting the capacity to represent Conclusion

13 The mind and its care

Introduction Mysteries Mind and medicine Conclusion: privacy most precious

References Author Index

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z

Subject Index

A B C D E F G H I K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Z