An Introduction to the Philosophy of Mind

It is a surprise to see my own work quoted in this rigorous and readable introduction to the philosophy of mind! The author teaches at the same university as Paul Badham and has clearly benefited from conversations with him about these matters. The book begins in the standard place with Descartes but its second chapter is entitled 'The Cartesian Soul and the Paranormal', which considers the implications of OBEs. The author offers a very fair discussion although he seems to stick to the disembodied mind/physical body distinction instead of following the evidence to postulate other more subtle bodies, as Mark Woodhouse does in his work. The main focus of the book is the nature of the person or human being and the author is arguably correct in claiming that the notions of soul and human being cannot be equated, although I would argue that the idea of the soul can be made consistent with a wider view of science. This is a very balanced introduction to the field.