Mind and cosmos : why the materialist neo-Darwinian conception of nature is almost certainly false /

According to Nagel (New York Univ.), the traditional mind-body problem in philosophy bears on explanations in the physical sciences, including evolutionary biology. Indeed, he holds that this problem, if properly appreciated, "must change our conception of the place of the physical sciences in describing the natural order." In particular, he contends that the reality of minds challenges a reductionist materialist account of the origin of minds, including the standard account from neo-Darwinian evolutionary biologists. Nagel introduces an alternative of "natural teleology" that avoids theology while acknowledging "a cosmic predisposition to the formation of life, consciousness, and the value that is inseparable from them." The book's chapters aim to lend some plausibility to this alternative by attending to the problems for materialism that are raised by consciousness, cognition, and value. Nagel seeks to avoid not only materialism, but also dualism and idealism. The book is accessible to a wide audience, as it avoids the kind of technical detail found in typical philosophical works on this topic. Summing Up: Recommended. Libraries supporting work on the philosophy of mind; upper-level undergraduates and above. P. K. Moser Loyola University Chicago