Cognitive Philosophy

Robert Sapolsky’s Behave, his now classic account of why humans do good and why they do bad, pointed toward an unsettling conclusion: We may not grasp the precise marriage of nature and nurture that creates the physics and chemistry at the base of human behavior, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. Now, in Determined, Sapolsky takes his argument all the way, mounting a brilliant (and in his inimitable way, delightful) full-frontal assault on the pleasant fantasy that there is some separate self telling our biology what to do.

Noam Chomsky is widely known and deeply admired for being the founder of modern linguistics, one of the founders of the field of cognitive science, and perhaps the most avidly read political theorist and commentator of our time. In these lectures, he presents a lifetime of philosophical reflection on all three of these areas of research to which he has contributed for over half a century.

Over the past few years, Brianna Wiest has gained renown for her deeply moving, philosophical writing. This new compilation of her published work features pieces on why you should pursue purpose over passion, embrace negative thinking, see the wisdom in daily routine, and become aware of the cognitive biases that are creating the way you see your life. Some of these pieces have never been seen; others have been read by millions of people around the world. Regardless, each will leave you thinking: This idea changed my life.

Why Don't Students Like School? (2nd Edition) features 25 percent updated material while still honoring the classic, beloved approaches of the original. The second edition will help teachers improve their practice by explaining how they and their students think and learn and reveals the importance of story, emotion, memory, context, and routine in building knowledge and creating lasting learning experiences.

Psychologists study which cognitive operations underpin a given conscious perception. Neuroscientists track the neural correlates of consciousness in the brain, the organ of the mind. But why the brain and not, say, the liver? How can the brain, three pounds of highly excitable matter, a piece of furniture in the universe, subject to the same laws of physics as any other piece, give rise to subjective experience? Koch argues that what is needed to answer these questions is a quantitative theory that starts with experience and proceeds to the brain.

Whenever we worry about what to eat, how to love, or simply how to be happy, we are worrying about how to lead a good life. No goal is more elusive. In How to Be a Stoic, philosopher Massimo Pigliucci offers Stoicism, the ancient philosophy that inspired the great emperor Marcus Aurelius, as the best way to attain it. Stoicism is a pragmatic philosophy that teaches us to act depending on what is within our control and separate things worth getting upset about from those that are not.

If You Want to Reduce stress, and Increase Joy with The Buddhist philosophy, Then Keep Reading… What is the essence of Buddha’s teachings? What is the difference between awakening and enlightenment? How do I maximize good karma? How can I deal with fear, worry, and depression? How can I make meditation work for me? These are just some of the burning questions that most people often ask when it comes to Buddhism. In a nutshell, Buddhism is all about living a more peaceful, mindful, and satisfying life. However, despite its popularity, Buddhism is still misunderstood by the public. In ...

A new edition of a classic work that originated the "embodied cognition" movement and was one of the first to link science and Buddhist practices.

Kids are naturally curious, but when it comes to school it seems like their minds are turned off. Why is it that they can remember the smallest details from their favorite television programs, yet miss the most obvious questions on their history test? Cognitive scientist Dan Willingham has focused his acclaimed research on the biological and cognitive basis of learning and has a deep understanding of the daily challenges faced by classroom teachers.

How does the brain—a three-pound wrinkly mass—give rise to intelligence and conscious experience? Was Freud right that we are all plagued by forbidden sexual desires? What is the function of emotions such as disgust, gratitude, and shame? Renowned psychologist Paul Bloom answers these questions and many more in Psych, his riveting new book about the science of the mind.

The Possibility of Cognition is the English translation of the last section of the second part of the third book in the pentalogy titled The World in Nowhereness. Originally written in Serbian, this work is a long, philosophical, and reflexive poem. It features a variety of unique sestinas, including some that have never been used before, such as the quatro sestina, which consists of 588 verses, organized into 24 stanzas with 24 verses each, plus an envoi with twelve verses. This is the first sestina of its kind. This complex and philosophical poem explores truth, knowledge, and ...

"Zen Benefiel, literally, takes us with him on his journey from drums to conundrums. His mind is facile as he weaves a narrative ranging from deep within the esoteric/ufology subculture to lessons of marriage, family, and business life. He draws upon archetypal psychology with a particular appreciation for the creative godhead archetype. If you read this book with an open heart, you may find yourself discovering new vistas of your own." ~Jeffrey Mishlove, PhD Host, New Thinking Allowed YouTube channel 'Stubbing My T.O.E on Purpose' by Bruce 'Zen' Benefiel is a thought-provoking and ...

Escucha ahora Nada es tan terrible, el nuevo libro de Rafael Santandreu. Un manual de autoterapia basado en la psicología cognitiva, la escuela terapéutica más eficaz y científica. El audiolibro de Nada es tan terrible contiene las herramientas de los mejores psicólogos del mundo para: dejar de preocuparse, disfrutar más intensamente de la vida, y más.

Daniel C. Dennett—preeminent philosopher and cognitive scientist—has spent his career creating the basis for a naturalistic account of consciousness with acumen and elegance. I’ve Been Thinking traces the development of Dennett’s own intellect and instructs us how we too can become good thinkers. Dennett’s restless curiosity leads him from his childhood in Beirut to Harvard, and from Parisian jazz clubs to “tillosophy” on his tractor in Maine. Along the way, he reveals the breakthroughs and misjudgments that shaped his paradigm-shifting philosophies.

Size explains the regularities—and peculiarities—of the key processes shaping life (from microbes to whales), the Earth (from asteroids to volcanic eruptions), technical advances (from architecture to transportation), and societies and economies (from cities to wages).

We live in a gendered world, where we are ceaselessly bombarded by messages about sex and gender. On a daily basis, we face deeply ingrained beliefs that sex determines our skills and preferences, from toys and colors to career choice and salaries. But what does this constant gendering mean for our thoughts, decisions, and behavior? And what does it mean for our brains? Drawing on her work as a professor of cognitive neuroimaging, Gina Rippon unpacks the stereotypes that surround us from our earliest moments and shows how these messages mold our ideas of ourselves.

Cognitive Science, Religion, and Theology is the eighth title published in the Templeton Science and Religion Series, in which scientists from a wide range of fields distill their experience and knowledge into brief tours of their respective specialties. In this volume, well-known cognitive scientist Justin L. Barrett offers an accessible overview of this interdisciplinary field, reviews key findings in this area, and discusses the implications of these findings for religious thought and practice.

Do you want to improve your brain power by thinking critically in your daily life? Are you interested in deepening your understanding without judgement, bias, or manipulation? Are you seeking confidence in your arguments and wish to think more efficiently? If you find yourself wanting to know more about critical thinking strategies, you’ve found the perfect solution. This workbook is for the individual who wants to think clearly and organized - for the person who wants to make the best decisions for themselves. Critical thinking is a mindset more than a technique.

An "elegant", "engrossing" (Carol Tavris, Wall Street Journal) examination of what we think we know about the brain and why - despite technological advances - the workings of our most essential organ remain a mystery.

Over the last 50 years, humanity has developed an extraordinary shared utility: the global positioning system. Omnipresent, free, and available to all, GPS powers everything from your phone to the Internet to the Mars Rover. Greg Milner tells the sweeping story of GPS, from its conceptual origins as a bomb guidance system to its present ubiquity.