PSYCOLOQUY CALL FOR BOOK REVIEWERS
Below is the Abstract of "The Paradox of Self-Consciousness" by Jose
Luis Bermudez (799 lines). This book has been selected for multiple
review in PSYCOLOQUY. If you wish to submit a formal book review
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Relevant excerpts:
Psycoloquy reviews are of the book not the Precis. Length should be
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AUTHOR'S RATIONALE FOR SOLICITING MULTIPLE BOOK REVIEW:
The book offers a novel approach to the study of self-consciousness,
integrating philosophical argument with detailed study of empirical
work from a range of disciplines. It provides a framework for
linking together distinct areas of cognitive science which are
rarely discussed together and discusses some fundamental problems
in the foundations of psychology (such as the nature of concepts
and the possibility of thought without language). I am continuing
to work on some of the central themes of the book and would greatly
benefit from feedback from the biobehavioral and cognitive science
community.
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psycoloquy.99.10.035.self-consciousness.1.bermudez Sun Oct 17 1999
ISSN 1055-0143 (47 paragraphs, 30 references, 799 lines)
PSYCOLOQUY is sponsored by the American Psychological Association (APA)
Copyright 1999 Jose Luis Bermudez
THE PARADOX OF SELF-CONSCIOUSNESS (REPRESENTATION AND MIND)
Precis of Bermudez on Self-Consciousness
[MIT/Bradford, 1998 xiv, 236 pp. ISBN: 0-262-02441-1]
Jose Luis Bermudez
Department of Philosophy
University of Stirling
Stirling FK9 4LA
Scotland
CREA Ecole Polytechnique
1 Rue Descartes
75005 Paris France
jose.bermudez(a)stir.ac.uk
ABSTRACT: This book addresses two fundamental questions in the
philosophy and psychology of self-consciousness: (1) Can we provide
a noncircular account of full-fledged self-conscious thought and
language in terms of more fundamental capacities? (2) Can we
explain how full-fledged self-conscious thought and language can
arise in the normal course of human development? I argue that a
paradox (the paradox of self-consciousness) arises from the
apparent strict interdependence between self-conscious thought and
linguistic self-reference. Responding to the paradox, I draw on
recent work in empirical psychology and philosophy to cut the tie
between self-conscious thought and linguistic self-reference. The
book studies primitive forms of nonconceptual self-consciousness
manifested in visual perception, somatic proprioception, spatial
reasoning and interpersonal psychological interactions.
KEYWORDS: cognitive maps; concepts; content; ecological self;
navigation; proprioception; self-consciousness; self-reference;
visual perception;