my mind on books

$2.99 kindle ebook – 'Eyes Wide Open: How to Make Smart Decisions in a Confusing World' by Noreena Hertz http://t.co/imcR4fLLdY via @amazon

— Debbie A Foster (@mymindonbooks) January 23, 2014

Languages of Intentionality: A Dialogue Between Two Traditions on Consciousness (Continuum Studies in Philosophy) by Paul S. MacDonald (Bloomsbury Academic, 2014)

(amazon.co.uk)

Book description from the publisher:

Intentionality – the relationship between conscious states and their objects – is one of the most discussed topics in contemporary debates in philosophy of mind, cognitive neuroscience and the study of consciousness. Long a foundational concept in Phenomenology, it has also received considerable coverage in the writings of analytic philosophers. This book is the first study to offer an impartial, well-informed assessment of the two traditions’ approaches through an in-depth investigation of the principal thinkers’ ideas, so that their positions emerge side-by-side, converging and diverging on certain shared themes.
Beginning with a historical discussion of the development of the term in the work of Continental thinkers in the 19th and early 20th centuries, the book considers the work of Brentano and Husserl and subsequent existentialist critiques. From there, it explores how empirical-analytic philosophers took up the topic, drawn as they were to materialist and computer models of the mind. Finally MacDonald presents a new ‘hybrid’ account of intentionality that will be a crucial work for scholars working on consciousness and the mind.

The Bilingual Mind: And What It Tells Us About Language and Thought by Aneta Pavlenko (Cambridge University Press, 2014)

(paperback – 2/28/14), (UK kindle ed.), (amazon.co.uk – paperback ed.)

Book description from the publisher:

If languages influence the way we think, do bilinguals think differently in their respective languages? And if languages do not affect thought, why do bilinguals often perceive such influence? For many years these questions remained unanswered because the research on language and thought had focused solely on the monolingual mind. Bilinguals were either excluded from this research as ‘unusual’ or ‘messy’ subjects, or treated as representative speakers of their first languages. Only recently did bi- and multilinguals become research participants in their own right. Pavlenko considers the socio-political circumstances that led to the monolingual status quo and shows how the invisibility of bilingual participants compromised the validity and reliability of findings in the study of language and cognition. She then shifts attention to the bilingual turn in the field and examines its contributions to the understanding of the human mind.

Google Books preview:

See also: Author’s webpages

$2.99 kindle ebook – 'Making the American Self' by Daniel Walker Howe http://t.co/fKGlGUSTK7 via @amazon

— Debbie A Foster (@mymindonbooks) January 20, 2014

(Part of the “Big Deal” through Feb 2)

The Doodle Revolution: Unlock the Power to Think Differently by Sunni Brown (Portfolio/Penguin, 2014)

(amazon.co.uk)

Book description from the publisher:

There is NO SUCH THING as a mindless doodle

What did Einstein, JFK, Edison, Marie Curie, and Henry Ford have in common? They were all inveterate doodlers. These powerhouse minds knew instinctively that doodling is deep thinking in disguise—a simple, accessible, and dynamite tool for innovating and solving even the stickiest problems.

Sunni Brown’s mission is to bring the power of the Doodle to the rest of us. She leads the Revolution defying all those parents, teachers, and bosses who say Stop doodling! Get serious! Grow up! She overturns misinformation about doodling, demystifies visual thinking, and shows us the power of applying our innate visual literacy.

Doodling has led to countless breakthroughs in science, technology, medicine, architecture, literature, and art. And as Brown proves in this inspiring, empowering book, it can help all of us think and do better in whatever fields we pursue.

With passion and wit, Brown guides you from the basic Doodle all the way to the formidable “Infodoodle”—the tight integration of words, numbers, images, and shapes that craft and display higher-level thinking.

She’ll teach you how to doodle any object, concept, or system imaginable.

She’ll show you how to shift habitual thinking patterns to get cognitive breakthroughs.

She’ll help you transform boring text into displays that can engage any audience.

And she’ll give you the courage to take up your pen, pencil, or whiteboard marker, without shame, judgment, or apology.

As Brown writes in the Doodle Revolutionary’s Manifesto, “No longer will the Doodle live in a house of ill repute. No longer will simple visual language be underestimated, underused, and misunderstood. Forevermore, we acknowledge the Doodle as a tool for immersive learning and we wield its power deliberately and without restriction, in any learning environment we see fit.”

Doodlers of the world, unite! The power of the pen awaits you.

Google Books preview:

See also: Author’s website