my mind on books

Benoit Hardy-Vallée of the University of Toronto Department of Philosophy has posted the first chapter of a free e-book, ‘The Philosophy of Social Cognition.’ The chapter topic is “The Other Minds.”

Recently issued by MIT Press: Folk Psychological Narratives: The Sociocultural Basis of Understanding Reasons (Bradford Books) by Daniel C. Hutto.

From the book description:

Established wisdom in cognitive science holds that the everyday folk psychological abilities of humans–our capacity to understand intentional actions performed for reasons–are inherited from our evolutionary forebears. In Folk Psychological Narratives, Daniel Hutto challenges this view (held in somewhat different forms by the two dominant approaches, “theory theory” and simulation theory) and argues for the sociocultural basis of this familiar ability. He makes a detailed case for the idea that the way we make sense of intentional actions essentially involves the construction of narratives about particular persons. Moreover he argues that children acquire this practical skill only by being exposed to and engaging in a distinctive kind of narrative practice.

Hutto calls this developmental proposal the narrative practice hypothesis (NPH). Its core claim is that direct encounters with stories about persons who act for reasons (that is, folk psychological narratives) supply children with both the basic structure of folk psychology and the norm-governed possibilities for wielding it in practice. In making a strong case for the as yet underexamined idea that our understanding of reasons may be socioculturally grounded, Hutto not only advances and explicates the claims of the NPH, but he also challenges certain widely held assumptions. For example, he targets the idea that the primary function of folk psychology is to enable us to predict the behaviors of others. In this way, Folk Psychological Narratives both clears conceptual space around the dominant approaches for an alternative and offers a groundbreaking proposal.

Amazon has “Search Inside the Book” for this title.

The Neuroscience of Fair Play: Why We (Usually) Follow the Golden Rule by Donald W. Pfaff

“Renowned neuroscientist Donald Pfaff upends our entire understanding of ethics and social contracts with an intriguing proposition: the Golden Rule is hardwired into the human brain.”

Dana Foundation book information, including Table of Contents and excerpts

ReadMe is a MetaFilter Wiki page collecting (and organizing) all the book-related topics from Ask MetaFilter, usually book recommendations on specific topics.

For example, filed on the wiki under “Science & Math: consciousness” – there are two entries: 1 (“recommend books about consciousness”) and 2 (“what to read after Dennett’s Consciousness Explained?”)

Also “recent books on cognitive science”

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Another good source of book lists is the site Lists of Bests, where I found “Mindpapers: 100 most cited works in the Philosophy of Mind”.

Though not considered “notable” by the New York Times, the following titles are my picks for the top mind books of 2007. I came up with seven, listed in roughly chronological order, so there is room for a few more nominations to make a Top Ten.

1. The Brain That Changes Itself: Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science (James H. Silberman Books)
(featured on the latest Brain Science Podcast)

2. I Am a Strange Loop

3. The Stuff of Thought: Language as a Window into Human Nature

4. Happier: Learn the Secrets to Daily Joy and Lasting Fulfillment

5. Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain

6. Proust Was a Neuroscientist

7. The Head Trip: Adventures on the Wheel of Consciousness

Maybe not strictly a “mind” book but certainly another notable book of the year: Everything Is Miscellaneous: The Power of the New Digital Disorder

12/16/07 – a belated addition: Making up the Mind: How the Brain Creates Our Mental World