Metaphors of Mind: Conceptions of the Nature of Intelligence

Metaphors of Mind seeks to help readers understand human intelligence as viewed from a variety of standpoints, such as those of psychology, anthropology, computational science, sociology, and philosophy. Much of the present confusion surrounding the concept of intelligence stems from our having looked at it from these different standpoints without considering how they relate to each other or how they might be combined into a unified view that goes beyond the boundaries of a particular discipline. Readers of Metaphors of Mind will come away with a comprehensive understanding of the concept of intelligence and how ideas about it have evolved and are continuing to evolve.

Preface; List of tables; Part I. Introduction: 1. Metaphors as foundations for theories of intelligence; Part II. Definitions of Intelligence: 2. Historical views of intelligence; 3. Contemporary views of intelligence; 4. The seminal views of Galton and Binet; Part III. Theories of Intelligence Looking Inward: 5. The geographic metaphor; 6. The computational metaphor; 7. The biological metaphor; 8. The epistemological metaphor; Part IV. Theories of Intelligence Looking Outward: 9 The anthropological metaphor; 10. The sociological metaphor; Part V. Theories of Intelligence Looking Inward and Outward: 11. The systems metaphor; 12. Implications of the metaphorical approach.