Praise for the Book

In a breezy introduction to the philosophy of mind edited by Heather Salazar, the beginner reader is immersed in an easy way into issues that are not otherwise easy to grasp, such as why one must interpret differently “taking the child back to the zoo” and “taking the car back to the zoo,” and what makes it very hard to tell a vegetarian what octopus salad tastes like.

All the same, the reader gets the right glimpse of why, centuries after they were written, the ideas of  Descartes and Hobbes are relevant to the presence of zombies among us, or the scary prospect that the arguments to the effect that we are the zombies are correct.

An excellent way to start a class on the philosophy of mind, without being bogged down from the get go into the synapses that got away.

— Adriano Palma, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa

Introduction to Philosophy: Philosophy of Mind achieves the two most important aspects of an introductory-level textbook: accessibility and presentation of philosophy as inquisitive problems to be explored. I can tell that the authors of the various chapters have kept their audience in mind. They are writing for intelligent yet beginning students, and avoid burying us in jargon or an academic-pedantic style. The content is substantial enough as a secondary-source guide for new philosophy majors. Concurrently, the writing is inviting and approachable enough for non-philosophy majors who will take that one philosophy course as an elective. Most of my students fit the latter description, and this book will serve them well.

I plan to use the first three chapters, and parts of the other chapters, in assembling material for my standard “Intro” course. Thank you for putting the effort and care into a quality OER book.

— Thomas Herrnstein, Northwest Arkansas Community College, U.S.A.