Abstract
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The thesis that the mental must have a causal aspect, or more forcefully,
must be defined in terms of its causal aspect, is a ruling force in
today’s analytical philosophy of mind. It has taken root so deeply
that in some circles, such as cognitive science, not only is it beyond
question, it limits the imagination to the extent that it is inconceivable
that things could be otherwise. Bede Rundle’s book is an
extended attempt to challenge this status quo by means of a ‘grammatical
investigation’ in the tradition of Ryle, Austin and
Wittgenstein. In the process it covers quite a number of diverse topics
in the philosophy of mind such as: physicalism, consciousness,
propositional attitude ascription, animal behaviour, intending and
desiring, action, reasoning and decision-making and ultimately issues
concerning freewill.