my mind on books

The Proteus Paradox: How Online Games and Virtual Worlds Change Us—And How They Don’t by Nick Yee (Yale University Press, 2013)

(kindle ed.), (amazon.co.uk)

Book description from the publisher:

Proteus, the mythical sea god who could alter his appearance at will, embodies one of the promises of online games: the ability to reinvent oneself. Yet inhabitants of virtual worlds rarely achieve this liberty, game researcher Nick Yee contends. Though online games evoke freedom and escapism, Yee shows that virtual spaces perpetuate social norms and stereotypes from the offline world, transform play into labor, and inspire racial scapegoating and superstitious thinking. And the change that does occur is often out of our control and effected by unparalleled—but rarely recognized—tools for controlling what players think and how they behave.

Using player surveys, psychological experiments, and in-game data, Yee breaks down misconceptions about who plays fantasy games and the extent to which the online and offline worlds operate separately. With a wealth of entertaining and provocative examples, he explains what virtual worlds are about and why they matter, not only for entertainment but also for business and education. He uses gaming as a lens through which to examine the pressing question of what it means to be human in a digital world. His thought-provoking book is an invitation to think more deeply about virtual worlds and what they reveal to us about ourselves.

See also: Author’s website

Philosophy of Mind: The Key Thinkers, ed. by Andrew Bailey (Bloomsbury Academic, 2013)

(paperback – 1/16/14), (amazon.co.uk)

Book description from the publisher:

Exploring what great philosophers have written about the nature of thought and consciousness Philosophy of Mind: The Key Thinkers offers a comprehensive overview of this fascinating field. Thirteen specially commissioned essays, written by leading experts, introduce and explore the contributions of those philosophers who have shaped the subject and the central issues and arguments therein.

The modern debate about the mind was shaped by Descartes in the seventeenth century, and then reshaped in the mid-twentieth century, and since, by exciting developments in science and philosophy. This book concentrates on the development of philosophical views on the mind since Descartes, offering coverage of the leading thinkers in the field including Husserl, Ryle, Lewis, Putnam, Fodor, Davidson, Dennett and the Churchlands. Crucially the book demonstrates how the ideas and arguments of these key thinkers have contributed to our understanding of the relationship between mind and brain.

Ideal for undergraduate students, the book lays the necessary foundations for a complete and thorough understanding of this fascinating subject.

Table Of Contents

Notes on Contributors
1. Introduction: 90 Years of Philosophy of Mind Andrew Bailey
2. Decoding René Descartes’ ‘Myth’ of Mind Patricia Easton
3. Edmund Husserl and Phenomenology Dermot Moran
4. Maurice Merleau-Ponty: A Phenomenological Philosophy of Mind and Body Sara Heinämaa
5. Gilbert Ryle and Logical Behaviourism William Lyons
6. The Contributions of U.T. Place, H. Feigl, and J.J.C. Smart to the Identity Theory of Consciousness Brian P. McLaughlin and Ronald Planer
7. David Lewis, David Armstrong, and the Causal Theory of the Mind David Braddon-Mitchell
8. Hilary Putnam and Computational Functionalism Oron Shagrir
9. Jerry Fodor and the Representational Theory of Mind Matthew Katz
10. Donald Davidson, Daniel Dennett, and the Origins of the Normative Model of the Mind Andrew Brook
11. Tracking Representationalism: William Lycan, Fred Dretske, and Michael Tye David Bourget and Angela Mendelovici
12. The Neurophilosophies of Patricia and Paul Churchland John Bickle
13. Andy Clark, Antonio Damasio, and Embodied Cognition Monica Cowart
14. David Chalmers on Mind and Consciousness Richard Brown
15. Postscript: Philosophy of Mind—The Next Ten Years? Andrew Bailey
Index

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Concepts of the Self, 3rd ed. by Anthony Elliott (Polity, 2013)

(kindle ed.), (amazon.co.uk)

Book description from the publisher:

More than ten years on from its original publication, Concepts of the Self still mesmerizes with its insight, comprehensiveness and critique of debates over the self in the social sciences and humanities. Anthony Elliott has written a new preface to this third edition to address some of the most recent developments in the field, and offers a powerful challenge to what he describes as ‘the emergence of anti-theories of the self’.

The first two editions have proven exceptionally popular among students and teachers worldwide. Anthony Elliott provides a scintillating introduction to the major accounts of the self from symbolic interactionism and psychoanalysis to post-feminism and postmodernism. This new edition has been extensively revised and updated to take account of more recent theoretical developments, and a new chapter has been added on individualization which focuses on how the self becomes an agent of ‘do-it-yourself’ autobiographical reconstruction in an age of intensive globalization.

Concepts of the Self remains the most lively, lucid and compelling introduction to contemporary controversies over the self and self-identity in the social sciences and humanities. Written by an author of international reputation, it connects debates about the self directly to identity politics, the sociology of personal relationships and intimacy, and the politics of sexuality, and will continue to be an invaluable introductory text for students in of social and political theory, sociology, social psychology, cultural studies, and gender studies.

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See also: Author’s homepage

The Power of Knowledge: How Information and Technology Made the Modern World by Jeremy Black (Yale University Press)

(kindle ed.), (amazon.co.uk)

Book description from the publisher:

Information is power. For more than five hundred years the success or failure of nations has been determined by a country’s ability to acquire knowledge and technical skill and transform them into strength and prosperity. Leading historian Jeremy Black approaches global history from a distinctive perspective, focusing on the relationship between information and society and demonstrating how the understanding and use of information have been the primary factors in the development and character of the modern age.
Black suggests that the West’s ascension was a direct result of its institutions and social practices for acquiring, employing, and retaining information and the technology that was ultimately produced. His cogent and well-reasoned analysis looks at cartography and the hardware of communication, armaments and sea power, mercantilism and imperialism, science and astronomy, as well as bureaucracy and the management of information, linking the history of technology with the history of global power while providing important indicators for the future of our world.

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See also: Author’s website

Train Your Mind for Peak Performance: A Science-Based Approach for Achieving Your Goals by Lyle E. Bourne, Jr., and Alice F. Healy (American Psychological Association, 2013)

(amazon.co.uk)

Book description from the publisher:

Whether you’re training to play the piano, speak a foreign language, shoot a target with a bow and arrow, or master the techniques of fine carpentry, the conditions of your training will affect how successfully you learn and perform. How can you process needed new information in order to remember it better and use it in the future? How long should you work, study, or practice before taking a break? How can you counteract fatigue and boredom to improve performance if the task is tedious? This book shares practical tips to help you learn quickly, remember what you learn, and apply it to real-world performance.