
Physicalism Deconstructed
Levels of Reality and the Mind-Body Problem
Kevin Morris(Author)
Cambridge University Press
Published on 8. April 2021
Book
Paperback/Softback
276 pages
978-1-108-45906-8 (ISBN)
Description
How should thought and consciousness be understood within a view of the world as being through-and-through physical? Many philosophers have proposed non-reductive, levels-based positions, according to which the physical domain is fundamental, while thought and consciousness are higher-level processes, dependent on and determined by physical processes. In this book, Kevin Morris's careful philosophical and historical critique shows that it is very difficult to make good metaphysical sense of this idea - notions like supervenience, physical realization, and grounding all fail to articulate a viable non-reductive, levels-based physicalism. Challenging assumptions about the mind-body problem and providing new perspectives on the debate over physicalism, this accessible and comprehensive book will interest scholars working in metaphysics, philosophy of mind, and philosophy of science.
Reviews / Votes
Advance praise: 'Physicalism Deconstructed is a beautifully clear and readable book that throws down the gauntlet for physicalists to accept the consequences of their core commitments. Kevin Morris advances an unexpectedly persuasive argument that the world according to physics really is all the world. This challenge to the layer cake view of reality cannot be ignored.' Thomas Polger, University of CincinnatiMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
Cambridge
United Kingdom
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Illustrations
Worked examples or Exercises; 14 Line drawings, black and white
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 15 mm
Weight
372 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-108-45906-8 (9781108459068)
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Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Book
11/2018
Cambridge University Press
€110.50
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E-Book
11/2018
Cambridge University Press
€88.99
Available for download
Person
Kevin Morris is Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Tulane University, Louisiana. His work on the metaphysics of physicalism and the mind-body problem has appeared in The British Journal for the Philosophy of Science, Pacific Philosophical Quarterly, Erkenntnis, Philosophical Studies, and elsewhere.
Content
Introduction; 1. Supervenience and non-reductive physicalism; 2. Non-reductive physicalism and the exclusion problem; 3. Functional realization; 4. Subset realization; 5. Grounding and physicalism; 6. The rise of non-reductive physicalism; 7. The physicalist problematic reconsidered; Conclusion.