Boundaries of the Mind: The Individual in the Fragile Sciences

Where does the mind begin and end? Most philosophers and cognitive scientists take the view that the mind is bounded by the skull or skin of the individual. Robert Wilson, in this provocative and challenging book, provides the foundations for the view that the mind extends beyond the boundary of the individual. The approach adopted offers a unique blend of traditional philosophical analysis, cognitive science, and the history of psychology and the human sciences. A forthcoming companion volume Genes and the Agents of Life will explore the theme in the biological sciences. Written with verve and clarity, this ambitious book will appeal to a broad swathe of professionals and students in philosophy, psychology, cognitive science, and the history of the behavioural and human sciences.

• Philosophically ambitious book arguing for the view that the mind extends beyond boundaries of individuals • Fully informed by developments in cognitive science, making this a ‘state-of-the-art’ account of the topic • Clearly and accessibly written

Part I. Disciplining the Individual and the Mind: 1. The individual in the fragile sciences. 2. Individuals, psychology and the mind; 3. Nativism on my mind; Part II. Individualism and Externalism in the Philosophy of Mind and the Cognitive Sciences: 4. Individualism: philosophical foundations; 5. Metaphysics, mind and science: two views of realization; 6. Context-sensitive realizations; 7. Representation, computation and cognitive science; Part III. Thinking Through and Beyond the Body: 8. The embedded mind and cognition; 9. Expanding consciousness; 10. Intentionality and phenomenology; Part IV. The Cognitive Metaphor in the Biological and Social Sciences: 11. Group minds in historical perspective; 12. The group mind hypothesis in contemporary biology and social science; Notes; References; Index.