The following is an earlier version of a paper which appeared in Objectivity, vol. 2, no. 1, under the title "Reality of Mind".


Review of

The Rediscovery of the Mind

by John R. Searle

reviewed by Eyal Mozes

Introduction

Prof. Searle is famous for several attacks on the orthodoxy of modern philosophy of mind and cognitive science. The Rediscovery of the Mind is the latest --- and the best --- installment in Searle's continuing defense of the mind against those who would try to deny it or explain it away.

In reading Searle's previous writings on the subject [1], I have always been bothered by his puzzling failure to make any reference to consciousness. His latest book corrects this omission, in spades; The Rediscovery of the Mind is very explicitly about consciousness, and its main theme is the importance of studying consciousness.

In this review I will discuss the strengths of Searle's book, and some of the important points he makes, as well as the book's weaknesses. Specifically, I believe that Searle could greatly improve his theory by using some of the relevant points from Objectivism. As we'll see below, even though philosophy of mind is an area on which Rand has written very little, Objectivism has some crucial insights that are highly relevant to this area.



Review of "The Rediscovery of Mind"
Introduction
I: Searle's criticism of materialism
II: The irreducibility of consciousness
III: The function of consciousness
IV: Free Will
V: Conclusion
footnotes

Return to the General Index


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