A defense of a version of the higher-order thought (HOT) theory of consciousness with special attention to such topics as concepts and animal consciousness. 
Consciousness is arguably the most important area within contemporary philosophy of mind and perhaps the most puzzling aspect of the world. Despite an explosion of research from philosophers, psychologists, and scientists, attempts to explain consciousness in neurophysiological, or even cognitive, terms are often met with great resistance. In The Consciousness Paradox, Rocco Gennaro aims to solve an underlying paradox, namely, how it is possible to hold a number of seemingly inconsistent views, including higher-order thought (HOT) theory, conceptualism, infant and animal consciousness, concept acquisition, and what he calls the HOT-brain thesis. He defends and further develops a metapsychological reductive representational theory of consciousness and applies it to several importantly related problems. Gennaro proposes a version of the HOT theory of consciousness that he calls the "wide intrinsicality view" and shows why it is superior to various alternatives, such as self-representationalism and first-order representationalism. HOT theory says that what makes a mental state conscious is that a suitable higher-order thought is directed at that mental state.
Thus Gennaro argues for an overall philosophical theory of consciousness while applying it to other significant issues not usually addressed in the philosophical literature on consciousness. Most cognitive science and empirical works on such topics as concepts and animal consciousness do not address central philosophical theories of consciousness. Gennaro's integration of empirical and philosophical concerns will make his argument of interest to both philosophers and nonphilosophers.

The Consciousness Paradox: Consciousness, Concepts, and Higher-Order Thoughts (Representation and Mind series)

Politics & Social Sciences

Gennaro, Rocco J.

Philosophy

A Bradford Book

The Routledge Handbook of Consciousness (Routledge Handbooks in Philosophy)

There has been an explosion of work on consciousness in the last 30–40 years from philosophers, psychologists, and neurologists. Thus, there is a need for an interdisciplinary, comprehensive volume in the field that brings together contributions from a wide range of experts on fundamental and cutting-edge topics. The Routledge Handbook of Consciousness fills this need and makes each chapter’s importance understandable to students and researchers from a variety of backgrounds. Designed to complement and better explain primary sources, this volume is a valuable "first-stop" publication for undergraduate or graduate students enrolled in any course on "Consciousness," "Philosophy of Mind," or "Philosophy of Psychology," as well as a valuable handbook for researchers in these fields who want a useful reference to have close at hand. The 34 chapters, all published here for the first time, are divided into three parts:\nPart I covers the "History and Background Metaphysics" of consciousness, such as dualism, materialism, free will, and personal identity, and includes a chapter on Indian philosophy.\nPart II is on specific "Contemporary Theories of Consciousness," with chapters on representational, information integration, global workspace, attention-based, and quantum theories.\nPart III is entitled "Major Topics in Consciousness Research," with chapters on psychopathologies, dreaming, meditation, time, action, emotion, multisensory experience, animal and robot consciousness, and the unity of consciousness.\nEach chapter begins with a brief introduction and concludes with a list of "Related Topics," as well as a list of "References," making the volume indispensable for the newcomer and experienced researcher alike.

Routledge

Ethics is concerned with the way human beings ought to behave. This book, written in the form of a dialogue, is an introduction to several ethical theories and to four major contemporary moral issues: euthanasia, abortion, animal rights, and capital punishment. It aims to develop some views and arguments that have already emerged in the literature of ethics.

A Dialogue on Ethical Issues of Life and Death

Health, Fitness & Dieting

Mental Health

University Press of America

This lively dialogue provides a clear and compelling overview of the mind-body problem suitable for both introductory students and those who have some background in the philosophy of mind. Topics include immortality; materialism; Descartes' 'Divisibility Argument' for dualism; the 'Argument from Introspection'; the problems with dualism; the interaction between mind and brain; parallelism; the 'type/token' distinction within materialism; recent arguments against materialism and its ability to explain consciousness; the epistemological problem of other minds; the nature of inductive knowledge; and the 'Inverted Spectrum Argument.' Also included are a list of study questions designed to enhance classroom discussion and to serve as a resource for the development of paper topics, and an index of key terms.

Mind and Brain: A Dialogue on the Mind-Body Problem (Hackett Philosophical Dialogues)

Hackett Publishing Company, Inc.

Mind and Brain: A Dialogue on the Mind-Body Problem

Hackett Pub Co Inc

This interdisciplinary work contains the most sustained attempt at developing and defending one of the few genuine theories of consciousness. Following the lead of David Rosenthal, the author argues for the so-called 'higher-order thought theory of consciousness'. This theory holds that what makes a mental state conscious is the presence of a suitable higher-order thought directed at the mental state. In addition, the somewhat controversial claim that "consciousness entails self-consciousness" is vigorously defended. The approach is mostly 'analytic' in style and draws on important recent work in cognitive science, perception, artificial intelligence, neuropsychology and psychopathology. However, the book also makes extensive use of numerous Kantian insights in arguing for its main theses and, in turn, sheds historical light on Kant's theory of mind. A detailed analysis of the relationships between (self-)consciousness, behavior, memory, intentionality, and de se attitudes are examples of the central topics to be found in this work. (Series A)

Consciousness and Self-Consciousness: A defense of the higher-order thought theory of consciousness (Advances in Consciousness Research)

John Benjamins Publishing Company

Since its publication in 1996, many thousands of students have first encountered key issues in the philosophy of mind in the pages of Rocco J. Gennaro's introductory work, Mind and Brain: A Dialogue on the Mind-Body Problem. In this new edition, Gennaro updates and expands the work to reflect current topics and discussions. The dialogue provides a clear and compelling overview of the mind-body problem suitable for both introductory students and those who have some background in the philosophy of mind. Topics include: 
<ul>
<li>Immortality</li>
<li>Materialism </li>
<li>Descartes’ “Divisibility Argument” for substance dualism</li>
<li>The “Argument from Introspection” for substance dualism</li>
<li>The main objections to dualism</li>
<li>The interaction between mind and brain</li>
<li>The relation between brain damage and the prospect of an afterlife</li>
<li>Parallelism and epiphenomenalism</li>
<li>The type/token distinction within materialism and the problem of multiple realizability </li>
<li>Arguments against materialism and its ability to explain consciousness</li>
<li>Property dualism and panpsychism</li>
<li>The epistemological problem of other minds</li>
<li>The nature of inductive knowledge</li>
<li>Evidence for animal consciousness</li>
<li>The problem of machine or robot minds</li>
<li>The inverted spectrum argument</li>
</ul> Also included are a brief Introduction, a list of Study Questions designed to enhance classroom discussion and serve as a resource for the development of paper topics, a Glossary, and an Index of Key Terms.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Gennaro, Rocco J.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Gennaro, Rocco J.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Gennaro, Rocco J.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

The Consciousness Paradox: Consciousness, Concepts, and Higher-Order Thoughts (Representation and Mind series)

The Routledge Handbook of Consciousness (Routledge Handbooks in Philosophy)

A Dialogue on Ethical Issues of Life and Death

Mind and Brain: A Dialogue on the Mind-Body Problem (Hackett Philosophical Dialogues)

Mind and Brain: A Dialogue on the Mind-Body Problem

Consciousness and Self-Consciousness: A defense of the higher-order thought theory of consciousness (Advances in Consciousness Research)

Mind and Brain: A Dialogue on the Mind-Body Problem