Deconstructing the Mind: (Philosophy of Mind)

In this book, Stich unravels - or deconstructs - the doctrine called "eliminativism". Eliminativism claims that beliefs, desires, and many other mental states we use to describe the mind do not exist, but are fictional posits of a badly mistaken theory of "folk psychology". Stich makes a U-turn in his book, opening up new and controversial positions.

Table of Contents:
1.: Deconstructing the Mind 2.: with William Ramsey and Joseph Garon: Connectionism, Eliminativism, and the Future of Folk Psychology 3.: with Ian Ravenscroft: What Is Fold Psychology? 4.: with Shaun Nichols: How Do Minds Understand Minds? Mental Simulation versus Tacit Theory 5.: with Stephen Laurence: Intentionality and Naturalism 6.: Naturalism, Positivism, and Pluralism References Index

Review :
"Stich's argument, presented in the first chapter, will surely become a classic essay in the study of mind....Surely ought not to be missed."--Choice "Deconstructing the Mind promises to be one of the most fascinating and interesting books in the philosophy of mind in recent years."--John R. Searle, University of California-Berkeley "This book is a delight. Written with Stich's inimitable style and verve, it throws a great deal of light on burning issues about the mind."--Michael Devitt, University of Maryland at College Park "Stich is one of the clearest writers on the philosophical scene today. He has a rare gift for expounding the opposition's position better than they do themselves. Taken together with an inspiring willingness to reassess his own positions, these virtues generate a book that does more than deliver the probing arguments we have come to expect from Stich, they produce a role model for young philosophers."--Robert Cummins, University of Arizona "This is an important new book. Belying his title, Stich deconstructs the deconstruction, minutely examining the case for eliminative materialism and finding it feeble. However, his positive project is not to vindicate the mind. Rather, it is to explore anew the relations between folk theories, reference, existence, and the justification of existence claims. Stich's discussion of these matters is very rich; it includes, among many other things, the best investigation I know of the reasons why some theoretical entities are reduced under theory replacement while others are eliminated."--William G. Lycan, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill "Stich's argument, presented in the first chapter, will surely become a classic essay in the study of mind....Surely ought not to be missed."--Choice "Deconstructing the Mind promises to be one of the most fascinating and interesting books in the philosophy of mind in recent years."--John R. Searle, University of California-Berkeley "This book is a delight. Written with Stich's inimitable style and verve, it throws a great deal of light on burning issues about the mind."--Michael Devitt, University of Maryland at College Park "Stich is one of the clearest writers on the philosophical scene today. He has a rare gift for expounding the opposition's position better than they do themselves. Taken together with an inspiring willingness to reassess his own positions, these virtues generate a book that does more than deliver the probing arguments we have come to expect from Stich, they produce a role model for young philosophers."--Robert Cummins, University of Arizona "This is an important new book. Belying his title, Stich deconstructs the deconstruction, minutely examining the case for eliminative materialism and finding it feeble. However, his positive project is not to vindicate the mind. Rather, it is to explore anew the relations between folk theories, reference, existence, and the justification of existence claims. Stich's discussion of these matters is very rich; it includes, among many other things, the best investigation I know of the reasons why some theoretical entities are reduced under theory replacement while others are eliminated."--William G. Lycan, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill "...a more comprehensive picture of the strengths and weaknesses of eliminativism than is available elsewhere in a single work. The clarity of the work's overall structure and the particular essays themselves ideally suit this book for a role in either an upper level undergraduate course or a graduate level seminar in the philosophy of mind."--Teaching Philosophy