Robots, Zombies and Us

Understanding Consciousness

Nonfiction, Religion & Spirituality, Philosophy, Mind & Body
Cover of the book Robots, Zombies and Us by Robert Kirk, Bloomsbury Publishing
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Robert Kirk ISBN: 9781474286602
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing Publication: February 23, 2017
Imprint: Bloomsbury Academic Language: English
Author: Robert Kirk
ISBN: 9781474286602
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Publication: February 23, 2017
Imprint: Bloomsbury Academic
Language: English

Could robots be genuinely intelligent? Could they be conscious? Could there be zombies? Prompted by these questions Robert Kirk introduces the main problems of consciousness and sets out a new approach to solving them.

He starts by discussing behaviourism, Turing's test of intelligence and Searle's famous Chinese Room argument, and goes on to examine dualism – the idea that consciousness requires something beyond the physical – together with its opposite, physicalism. Probing the idea of zombies, he concludes they are logically impossible. Having presented the central problems, he sketches his solution: a version of functionalism, according to which consciousness consists in the performance of functions.

While there is wide agreement among philosophers about what the main problems of consciousness are, there is little agreement on how to go about solving them. With this powerful case for his version of functionalism, Kirk offers an engaging introduction to both the problems and a possible solution.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Could robots be genuinely intelligent? Could they be conscious? Could there be zombies? Prompted by these questions Robert Kirk introduces the main problems of consciousness and sets out a new approach to solving them.

He starts by discussing behaviourism, Turing's test of intelligence and Searle's famous Chinese Room argument, and goes on to examine dualism – the idea that consciousness requires something beyond the physical – together with its opposite, physicalism. Probing the idea of zombies, he concludes they are logically impossible. Having presented the central problems, he sketches his solution: a version of functionalism, according to which consciousness consists in the performance of functions.

While there is wide agreement among philosophers about what the main problems of consciousness are, there is little agreement on how to go about solving them. With this powerful case for his version of functionalism, Kirk offers an engaging introduction to both the problems and a possible solution.

More books from Bloomsbury Publishing

Cover of the book Liberal Criminal Theory by Robert Kirk
Cover of the book Ju 88 Aces of World War 2 by Robert Kirk
Cover of the book Atheists by Robert Kirk
Cover of the book Strife by Robert Kirk
Cover of the book Tudor Tales: The Actor, the Rebel and the Wrinkled Queen by Robert Kirk
Cover of the book Chick 'n' Pug Meet the Dude by Robert Kirk
Cover of the book Mastering the Shakespeare Audition by Robert Kirk
Cover of the book Absolutely Perhaps by Robert Kirk
Cover of the book Aston Martin by Robert Kirk
Cover of the book International Business Law by Robert Kirk
Cover of the book Uncle Montague's Tales of Terror by Robert Kirk
Cover of the book Peter Brook: Threads Of Time by Robert Kirk
Cover of the book Aspirin by Robert Kirk
Cover of the book The Roger Scruton Reader by Robert Kirk
Cover of the book Do You Know Who I Am? by Robert Kirk
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy