Models of the Self [Hardcover]

The book successfully spans a multidisciplinary mix of fields, from psychology and cognitive science through philosophy to mysticism, and some of these papers achieve a genuinely interdisciplinary exchange of ideas. Especially useful are the papers on topics such as psychiatry and Tibetan Buddhism, which may be overlooked in standard Western philosophy courses, but which illuminate the self by decomposing it. Louis Sass, for example, examines the pathological dissolution of the self in schizophrenia, and Jeremy Hayward takes us through the careful self-dissection of Buddhist meditation.

Models of the Self presents a refreshingly different view.

We cannot understand consciousness without tackling the self and this book tackles it head-on. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Gallagher and Shear have put together a fast paced yet savvy set of readings on the thorny problem of the self. It is a must read. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Models of the Self is a challenging and provocative book. It is not an easy read, but the insights and rewards are great. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

The book is fully edited - the philosophical thread runs through the chapters. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

The volume is unquestionably a tour de force . . . it is consistently erudite. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Francis Crick, scientists of the DNA double-helix fame, put forward an "Astonishing Hypothesis" (1994) that your sense of personal identity is nothing more than the behaviour of your nerve cells and associated chemicals. This book is a discussion on the nature of the "self". It is a comprehensive reader on the problem of the self as seen from the perspectives of philosophy, development psychology, robotics, cognitive neuroscience, psychopathology, semiotics, phenomenology and contemplative studies. One chapter, by neurologist, Jonathan Cole, centers around his interviews with blind people, including Education Minister David Blunkett, on the importance of seeing faces for our sense of identity. The discussions that are presented here are all based around a keynote paper by Galen Strawson, who reviews the whole debate at the end of the book.

Advance praise for Models of the Self
"Gallagher and Shear have put together a fast paced but savvy set of readings on the thorny problem of the self. It is a must read". Michael S. Gazzaniga, Director, Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Dartmouth College; editor, the Cognitive Neurosciences.

Shaun Gallagher is Director of the Cognitive Science Program, Canisius College. Jonathan Shear is a professor of philosophy at Virginia Commonwealth University --This text refers to the Paperback edition.