Why We Read Fiction
Why We Read Fiction

Author: Lisa Zunshine

Publisher: Ohio State University Press

Published: 2006

Total Pages: 210

ISBN-13: 0814210287

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Why We Read Fiction offers a lucid overview of the most exciting area of research in contemporary cognitive psychology known as "Theory of Mind" and discusses its implications for literary studies. It covers a broad range of fictional narratives, from Richardson s Clarissa, Dostoyevski's Crime and Punishment, and Austen s Pride and Prejudice to Woolf's Mrs. Dalloway, Nabokov's Lolita, and Hammett s The Maltese Falcon. Zunshine's surprising new interpretations of well-known literary texts and popular cultural representations constantly prod her readers to rethink their own interest in fictional narrative. Written for a general audience, this study provides a jargon-free introduction to the rapidly growing interdisciplinary field known as cognitive approaches to literature and culture.

Mind-Body Problems
Mind-Body Problems

Author: John Horgan

Publisher: Independently Published

Published: 2019-01-16

Total Pages: 248

ISBN-13: 9781731440488

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Science journalist John Horgan presents a radical new perspective on the mind-body problem and related issues such as consciousness, free will, morality and the meaning of life. Horgan argues that science will never discover an objectively true solution to the mind-body problem because such a solution does not exist. Horgan explores his thesis by delving into the professional and personal lives of nine mind-body experts, including neuroscientist Christof Koch, cognitive scientist Douglas Hofstadter, child psychologist Alison Gopnik, complexologist Stuart Kauffman, legal scholar and psychoanalyst Elyn Saks, philosopher Owen Flanagan, novelist Rebecca Goldstein, evolutionary biologist Robert Trivers, and economist Deirdre McCloskey.

Science Fiction and Philosophy
Science Fiction and Philosophy

Author: Susan Schneider

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2016-03-07

Total Pages: 439

ISBN-13: 1118922611

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Featuring numerous updates and enhancements, Science Fiction and Philosophy, 2nd Edition, presents a collection of readings that utilize concepts developed from science fiction to explore a variety of classic and contemporary philosophical issues. Uses science fiction to address a series of classic and contemporary philosophical issues, including many raised by recent scientific developments Explores questions relating to transhumanism, brain enhancement, time travel, the nature of the self, and the ethics of artificial intelligence Features numerous updates to the popular and highly acclaimed first edition, including new chapters addressing the cutting-edge topic of the technological singularity Draws on a broad range of science fiction’s more familiar novels, films, and TV series, including I, Robot, The Hunger Games, The Matrix, Star Trek, Blade Runner, and Brave New World Provides a gateway into classic philosophical puzzles and topics informed by the latest technology

Speculations on Speculation
Speculations on Speculation

Author: James E. Gunn

Publisher: Scarecrow Press

Published: 2005

Total Pages: 404

ISBN-13: 9780810849020

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Science fiction is a field of literature that has great interest and great controversy among its writers and critics. This book examines the roots, history, development, current status, and future directions of the field through articles contributed by well-respected science fiction writers, teachers, and critics. This book can be used as a textbook for courses in theory as well as courses in science fiction literature and science fiction writing.

The Future of the Mind
The Future of the Mind

Author: Michio Kaku

Publisher: Anchor

Published: 2015-02-17

Total Pages: 402

ISBN-13: 0307473341

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Michio Kaku, the New York Times bestselling author of Physics of the Impossible and Physics of the Future tackles the most fascinating and complex object in the known universe: the human brain. The Future of the Mind brings a topic that once belonged solely to the province of science fiction into a startling new reality. This scientific tour de force unveils the astonishing research being done in top laboratories around the world—all based on the latest advancements in neuroscience and physics—including recent experiments in telepathy, mind control, avatars, telekinesis, and recording memories and dreams. The Future of the Mind is an extraordinary, mind-boggling exploration of the frontiers of neuroscience. Dr. Kaku looks toward the day when we may achieve the ability to upload the human brain to a computer, neuron for neuron; project thoughts and emotions around the world on a brain-net; take a “smart pill” to enhance cognition; send our consciousness across the universe; and push the very limits of immortality.

Theory of Mind
Theory of Mind

Author: Martin Doherty

Publisher: Psychology Press

Published: 2008-08-26

Total Pages: 262

ISBN-13: 1135420793

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A concise and readable review of the extensive research into children’s understanding of what other people think and feel, providing a comprehensive overview of 25 years of research into theory of mind.

How to Create a Mind
How to Create a Mind

Author: Ray Kurzweil

Publisher: Penguin

Published: 2013-08-27

Total Pages: 353

ISBN-13: 0143124048

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NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The bold futurist and renowned author of The Singularity Is Near explores the limitless potential of reverse-engineering the human brain. “This book is a Rosetta Stone for the mystery of human thought.”—Martine Rothblatt, chairman and CEO, United Therapeutics, and creator of Sirius XM Satellite Radio “Kurzweil’s vision of our super-enhanced future is completely sane and calmly reasoned, and his book should nicely smooth the path for the earth’s robot overlords, who, it turns out, will be us.”—The New York Times In How to Create a Mind, Ray Kurzweil presents a provocative exploration of the most important project in human-machine civilization: reverse-engineering the brain to understand precisely how it works and using that knowledge to create even more intelligent machines. Kurzweil discusses how the brain functions, how the mind emerges, brain-computer interfaces, and the implications of vastly increasing the powers of our intelligence to address the world’s problems. He also thoughtfully examines emotional and moral intelligence and the origins of consciousness and envisions the radical possibilities of our merging with the intelligent technology we are creating. Drawing on years of advanced research and cutting-edge inventions in artificial intelligence, How to Create a Mind is an incredible synthesis of neuroscience and technology and provides a road map for the future of human progress.

Theory of Mind and Literature
Theory of Mind and Literature

Author: Paula Leverage

Publisher: Purdue University Press

Published: 2011

Total Pages: 341

ISBN-13: 1557535701

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Cover -- Title -- Copyright -- Contents -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction -- 1: Theory of Mind Now and Then: Evolutionary and Historical Perspectives -- Theory of Mind and Theory of Minds in Literature Keith Oatley -- Social Minds in Little Dorrit Alan Palmer -- The Way We Imagine Mark Turner -- Theory of Mind and Fictions of Embodied Transparency Lisa Zunshine -- 2: Mind Reading and Literary Characterization -- Theory of the Murderous Mind: Understanding the Emotional Intensity of John Doyle's Interpretation of Sondheim's Sweeney Todd Diana Calderazzo -- Distraction as Liveliness of Mind: A Cognitive Approach to Characterization in Jane Austen Natalie Phillips -- Sancho Panza's Theory of Mind Howard Mancing -- Is Perceval Autistic?: Theory of Mind in the Conte del Graal Paula Leverage -- 3: Theory of Mind and Literary / Linguistic Structure -- Whose Mind's Eye? Free Indirect Discourse and the Covert Narrator in Marlene Streeruwitz's Nachwelt Jennifer Marston William -- Attractors, Trajectors, and Agents in Racine's "Récit de Théramène" Allen G. Wood -- The Importance of Deixis and Attributive Style for the Study of Theory of Mind: The Example of William Faulkner's Disturbed Characters Ineke Bockting -- 4: Alternate States of Mind -- Alternative Theory of Mind for Arti.cial Brains: A Logical Approach to Interpreting Alien Minds Orley K. Marron -- Reading Phantom Minds: Marie Darrieussecq's Naissance des fantômes and Ghosts' Body Language Mikko Keskinen -- Theory of Mind and Metamorphoses in Dreams: Jekyll & Hyde, and The Metamorphosis Richard Schweickert and Zhuangzhuang Xi -- Mother/Daughter Mind Reading and Ghostly Intervention in Toni Morrison's Beloved Klarina Priborkin -- 5: Theoretical, Philosophical, Political Approaches.

SciFi in the Mind's Eye
SciFi in the Mind's Eye

Author: Margret Grebowicz

Publisher:

Published: 2007

Total Pages: 348

ISBN-13:

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From the Publisher: What does our favorite science fiction tell us about the culture of science? What do stories of cyborg women and genetic engineering show us about how science and values interact and how science and politics affect each other? In SciFi in the Mind's Eye, leading scholars look at the way science fiction informs and inspires contemporary research in science and technology, and how scientific breakthroughs spur authors on to yet more creative science fiction narratives. Alongside investigations into the meaning of science fiction, SciFi in the Mind's Eye gives us previously unpublished 'interventions' by acclaimed science fiction authors L. Timmel Duchamp, Nicola Griffith, Nancy Kress, Terry Bisson, and Stanislaw Lem.

Transparent Minds in Science Fiction
Transparent Minds in Science Fiction

Author: Paul Matthews

Publisher: Open Book Publishers

Published: 2023-10-17

Total Pages: 148

ISBN-13: 1805110497

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Transparent Minds explores the intersection between neuroscience and science fiction stories. Paul Matthews expertly analyses the narratives of humans and nonhumans from Mary Shelley to Kazuo Ishiguro across 200 years of the genre. In doing so he gives lucid insight into the meaning of existence and self-awareness. Rigorously researched and highly accessible, Matthews argues that psycho-emotional science fiction writers both imitate and inform alien and post-human consciousnesses through exploratory narratives and metaphor. Drawing from a diverse range of scholars and critics, Matthews explores topics such as psychonarration and neuroaesthetics, to create a thoughtful and cogent argument. By synthesising concepts from philosophy, neuroscience, and literary theory, Matthews posits the potential for science fiction to bridge the gap in understanding between AI and human minds. Given the recent advancements in AI technology, Matthews’ timely discussion enters the speculative realm of sentient technology and postcyborg ethics. The work constitutes a major contribution to cross-disciplinary perspectives on alien and posthuman psychology, that engages with future states of existence in both ourselves and the machines we create. Transparent Minds will be of interest to innovators, authors, and science fiction enthusiasts alike.