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The Series of Books “Philosophy of Mind”

The unique book series, issued by the Centre. It includes the most significant works of Russian and foreign philosophers and scientists on the philosophy of mind, the problems of free will and moral responsibility.

“The Conscious Mind” D. Chalmers

This book, first published in 1996, has become one of the most prominent philosophical treatises of the end of the 20th century. Today it is impossible to find serious work on the problem of consciousness in which there would be no references to Chalmers. “The Conscious Mind” is a fascinating story about the deepest philosophical paradoxes and mysteries of consciousness. It is a provocative study in which an attempt is made to justify the “naturalistic dualism” based on the author’s thesis about the non-physical nature of consciousness and its dependence on the functional schemes in the brain. Chalmers also claims that his theory opens up new perspectives for the interpretation of quantum mechanics and suggests the possibility of conscious robots. Clarity of exposition, bold ideas, originality of thought experiments, accuracy of reasoning and wide erudition of the author of this book has made it a real gift for anyone interested in philosophy.

“Consciousness and Things” V. Vasiliev







Consciousness and Things”, a new book by Vadim Vasilyev, presents a theory of consciousness labeled as a “local interactionism”. The previous work “The Hard Problem of Consciousness” was a sketch of intended solutions, here they are completely explicated. By developing his own method of phenomenological deductions and connecting it with a traditional analytic method of conceptual analysis, author takes the reader from general premises to final conclusions. He shows how it is possible to combine causal potential of consciousness with a principle of causal closure of the physical. Moreover, separating the mind-body problem into seven sequentially connected issues, Vadim Vasilyev brings us to his own solution to the problem of consciousness. Here we are dealing with a full-weight philosophic treatise: basic definitions deduced from fundamental principles, which, in turn, are derived from suggestions of the nature of consciousness. Author also tries to answer to possible criticisms of every step of his constructions. Undoubtedly, reading the book “Consciousness and Things” will be a great pleasure to those keen on philosophy.

In Defense for Classic Compatibilism. Essay on Free Will. V.Vasiliev

Обложка Васильев В.В. В защиту классического компатибилизма: Эссе о свободе воли 

I try to defend classical compatibilism, according to which (1) free will and moral responsibility are compatible with determinism, and (2) free will is based on freedom of action as a necessary condition of moral responsibility. I start with a critical evaluation of incompatibilism. Then I show why classical compatibilism is the best option among other forms of compatibilism.

“The Nature of Phenomenal Consciousness” D. Ivanov







It’s little wonder Dmitriy Ivanov’s book is entitled “The Nature of Phenomenal Consciousness”, as it’s the phenomenal side of the conscious experience that makes discussion of consciousness so exciting and attractive for specialists from different intellectual fields.
In a polemical manner, the author discusses a variety of ways of how to explain the nature of the phenomenal experience, and even suggests an original perspective for solving “the hard problem of consciousness”. This approach makes his book an exceedingly interesting read, and encourages the reader to seek answers on questions about consciousness. 

“The Boston Zombie: D. Dennett and his theory of consciousness” D. Volkov

Обложка Волков Д.Б. Бостонский зомби: Д.ДЕННЕТ и его теория сознания




The book is focused on the theory of consciousness by Daniel Dennett, a widely known American philosopher.

The author provides critical analysis of Dennett’s ideas in the context of contemporary philosophical debates. 

“The Stuff of Thought” S. Pinker

Обложка Пинкер С. Субстанция мышления: Язык как окно в человеческую природу. Пер. с англ.






The Stuff of Thought is a revelation. In this exhilarating new book, Steven Pinker analyzes how our words relate to thoughts and to the world around us and reveals what this tells us about ourselves.

The Stuff of Thought is a book for everyone. Steven Pinker has devoted his life to studying the way we think and communicate.

And language, in his hands, becomes a profound, and highly entertaining, way to shed light on every aspect of human nature. 

In Consciousness Explained, Dennett proposed to replace the ubiquitous but bankrupt Cartesian Theater model (which posits a privileged place in the brain where “it all comes together” for the magic show of consciousness) with the Multiple Drafts Model. Drawing on psychology, cognitive neuroscience, and artificial intelligence, he asserted that human consciousness is essentially the mental software that reorganizes the functional architecture of the brain. In Sweet Dreams, he recasts the Multiple Drafts Model as the “fame in the brain” model, as a background against which to examine the philosophical issues that “continue to bedevil the field.”

With his usual clarity and brio, Dennett enlivens his arguments with a variety of vivid examples. He isolates the “Zombic Hunch” that distorts much of the theorizing of both philosophers and scientists, and defends heterophenomenology, his “third-person” approach to the science of consciousness, against persistent misinterpretations and objections. The old challenge of Frank Jackson’s thought experiment about Mary the color scientist is given a new rebuttal in the form of “RoboMary,” while his discussion of a famous card trick, “The Tuned Deck,” is designed to show that David Chalmers’s Hard Problem is probably just a figment of theorists’ misexploited imagination. In the final essay, the “intrinsic” nature of “qualia” is compared with the naively imagined “intrinsic value” of a dollar in “Consciousness—How Much is That in Real Money?”