Cognitive science has been well linked to philosophy since the discipline was given its name

October 04, 2007 A rough guide to philosophy and neuroscience:

Philosophy is now an essential part of cognitive science but this wasn't always the case. A fantastic new article, available online as a pdf, describes how during the last 25 years philosophy has undergone a revolution in which it has contributed to, and been inspired by, neuroscience. The article is by two philosophers, Profs Andrew Brook and Pete Mandik, and it's a wonderful summary of how the revolution occurred and just how we've benefited from philosophers turning their attention to cognitive science. But it also notes how evidence from psychology and neuroscience is being used by philosophers to better understand concepts - such as perception, belief and consciousness - that have been the concern of thinkers from as far back as the Ancient Greeks.

It's an academic article, so it's fairly in-depth in places, but if you want a concise introduction to some of the key issues philosophy of mind is dealing with, and how this directly applies to current problems in the cognitive sciences, look no further. The scope is wonderfully broad and there's a huge amount of world-shaking information packed into it. It's particularly good if you're a psychologist or neuroscientist and want a guide to how philosophy is helping us make sense of the mind and brain. The article will shortly appear in the philosophy journal Analyse and Kritik but the proofs are available online right now. pdf of article 'The Philosophy and Neuroscience Movement' (via BH). —Vaughan. Posted at October 4, 2007 10:00 PM

Comments David Scrimshaw says: I think you'll find that a close reading of the article reveals that it is neuroscience and philosophy that did not used to be linked. To my knowledge, cognitive science has been well linked to philosophy since the discipline was given its name. The bachelor's program in Cognitive Science at MIT that was created in the early 80s had a substantial number of philosophy classes in the required and elective lists. Comment posted at October 4, 2007 11:56 PM
John Wilkins says: Many thanks. This will be a useful wrap up paper to give my cognitive science class. Comment posted at October 5, 2007 02:43 AM