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MOVING TO FRONT FROM JANUARY 16–MORE COMMENTS WELCOME
Continuing with our new series about the best introductory texts in various areas of philosophy, I now invite readers to name what they think are the best introductory texts in philosophy of mind. As before, don't just name a text, but say something about why you think it's particularly notable or valuable. Although you don't have to sign your comment, I do think signed ones will carry more weight with readers.
I like Ian Ravenscoft's Philosophy of Mind: A Beginners's Guide (Oxford 2005). It nicely sets up the main problems in philosophy of mind and covers each of the central theories (dualism, behaviorism, identity theory, functionalism) and sub-problems (causality, consciousness, content)in short, accessible chapters. The main arguments, thought experiments, and objections are stated clearly, each chapter ends with a clear summary and "tutorial question" to help student reflect on the content, there is a glossary of terms, and the recommended readings at the end of each chapter list the central papers for that topic and an appendix lists recommended books.
For more advanced students, John Heil's Philosophy of Mind: A contemporary introduction (Routledge), which is now out in a new edition I have not looked at.
So far as the core metaphysical issues with reducing the mental to the physical and mental causation, Kim's textbook 'Philosophy of Mind' is clearly the best – make sure to get the 3rd edition. I have had many students express how much they enjoyed this book and how clear it is. However it does concentrate quite exclusively on these metaphysical issues.
Tim Crane's 'The Mechanical Mind' is very good for the topic of intentionality, mental content and the standard computational-representational view of the mind – it assumes no prior knowledge of philosophy and is perfect for 1st year students. (Again, get the later edition.)
Going back further, the Jackson & Braddon-Mitchell book is also very good, and with a good spread of topics, though it is quite old now. (Is it even in print still?)
One topic that none of the standard 'Philosophy of Mind' textbooks really cover, but which I think is essential for any introductory course, is the classic problem of perception (direct vs indirect, sense-data, disjunctivism etc.) Bill Fish's short book for Routledge 'Philosophy of Perception' is very useful for filling this gap.
For a really advanced 3rd year class, the Routledge book 'Contemporary Debates in Philosophy of Mind' would be brilliant, though hard work for some students.
For textbooks, I especially like Heil's 'Philosophy of Mind' (Routledge) and Kim's 'Philosophy of Mind' (Westview). For a different format, Alter & Howell's 'A Dialogue on Consciousness' (OUP) is fun (and a I bet Perry's new 'Dialogue on Consciousness' (Hackett) is excellent, though I haven't yet seen it).
Seconding John Heil's book. It's ideal. Well-written, historically *and* scientifically informed with what seems to me the correct solution at the end. Also funny in parts.
I have been using Andy Clark's Mindware in my second year "Minds and Machines" course. It is a wonderfully comprehensive and insightful introduction to the question of how artificial intelligence, simulation, and robotics are changing the traditional computational conception of mind. But it is a difficult read. I would love to know of any non-technical treatments of the these topics. Any suggestions?
Philip Goff's new book Galileo's error, though it clearly has an ax to grind (pan-psychism) is a very accessible and interestingly written book that features many of the greatest hits of philosophy of mind. Bear in mind though, it focuses on consciousness, especialy the metaphysics of consciousness, and doesn't cover intentionality much.
As for AI, simulation, etc. David Chalmers' book when it comes out, on Virtual Reality.
In addition to Heil for more advanced students and Kim for the metaphysics of mind stuff, I think Pete Mandik's "This Is Philosophy Of Mind" (Blackwell) is really good. It is clear, accessible, and concise (15 chapters in 230 pages). I've had really good luck with it in the introductory phil of mind course I teach, with students going out of their way to praise the book in end-of-term evaluations.
Ned Block's, "Readings in the Philosophy of Psychology", published lo' those many years ago, I think still the best.
Forgive the self-promotion, but this new text Philosophy of Mind: The Basics will be out in April: https://www.routledge.com/Philosophy-of-Mind-The-Basics-1st-Edition/Kind/p/book/9781138807822 It is aimed at a more-introductory level than the Kim and Heil texts.
Churchland's classic 'Matter and Consciousness' has been used by multiple professors at UCLA and of course UCSD among other places. I recommend it for the good pros and cons section on several classic and contemporary philosophies of mind starting from Dualism and Behaviorism to Reductive Materialism, Functionalism, and of course Churchland's own Eliminative Materialism. His analysis is fair for the most part. Those looking for a historical approach combined with a topical survey of some of the most popular positions would be advised to check it out.
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