Privileged Access: Philosophical Accounts of Self-knowledge

Front Cover
Brie Gertler
Ashgate, 2003 - Philosophy - 266 pages
How do you grasp the contents of your mind - your desires, your fears, your sensations, your beliefs? We typically think that we are better able to discern our own mental states than others are. But is this correct? And if it is, what explains your special or 'privileged' access to your own states? Privileged Access is a comprehensive anthology of new and seminal essays, by leading philosophers, about the nature of self-knowledge. Most of the essays are new, including specially commissioned contributions from such prominent thinkers as Bermðdez, Dretske, Lycan, Sosa and others, but the anthology also includes reprints of classic articles by Boghossian, Shoemaker, Wright and others. The volume provides for an in-depth understanding of contemporary answers to key philosophical questions which have strongly influenced developments in epistemology, ontology, and the philosophy of mind since Descartes. Featuring an introductory chapter outlining the main currents of thought about self-knowledge, this comprehensive collection of cutting-edge philosophical work will prove an invaluable resource for students and researchers alike.

About the author (2003)

Murat Aydede is Assistant Professor of Philosophy at the University of Florida, Gainesville Dorit Bar-On is Professor of Philosophy at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill Jose Luis Bermudez is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Stirling Paul Boghossian is Professor and Chair of the Philosophy Department at New York University Fred Dretske is Senior Research Scholar in the Philosophy Department at Duke University Brie Gertler is Assistant Professor of Philosophy at the University of Wisconsin, Madison Joseph Levine is Professor of Philosophy at The Ohio State University Douglas C. Long is Professor of the Philosophy Department at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill William G. Lycan is William Rand Kenan, Jr., Professor of Philosophy at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hil Richard Moran is Professor of Philosophy at Harvard University Christopher Peacocke is Professor of Philosophy at New York University Sydney Shoemaker is Susan Linn Sage Professor of Philosophy at Cornell University Charles Siewert is Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Miami Ernest Sosa is Romeo Elton Professor of Natural Theology and Philosophy at Brown University, and Distinguished Visiting Professor of Philosophy at Rutgers University Michael Tye is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Texas, Austin Crispin Wright is Professor of Logic and Metaphysics and Wardlaw Professor at the University of St. Andrews, and Visiting Professor at Columbia University

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