Consciousness and the Great Philosophers: What would they have said about our mind-body problem?

Consciousness and the Great Philosophers addresses the question of how the great philosophers of the past might have reacted to the contemporary problem of consciousness. Each of the thirty-two chapters within this edited collection focuses on a major philosophical figure from the history of philosophy, from Anscombe to Xuanzang, and imaginatively engages with the problem from their perspective.

Written by leading experts in the field, this exciting and engaging book explores the relevance of the history of philosophy to contemporary debates and therefore is essential reading for students and scholars studying the history of philosophy, contemporary philosophy of mind and consciousness, or both.

Stephen Leach is Senior Research Assistant in Philosophy at Keele University, UK. He is the author of The Foundations of History: Collingwood’s Analysis of Historical Explanation (2009).

James Tartaglia is Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at Keele University, UK. He is the author of Philosophy in a Meaningless Life (2016).