The "great debate" in cognitive science today is about
the nature of mental images. One side says images are basically
pictures in the head. The other side says they are like the symbol
structures in computers. If the picture-in-the-head theorists are
right, then computers will never be able to think like people.This
book contains the most intelligible and incisive articles in the
debate, articles by cognitive psychologists, computer scientists
and philosophers. The most exciting imagery phenomena are
described, phenomena that indicate that mental images can be
rotated and scanned, that smaller images are harder to see than
larger ones, that when mental images are made larger they
eventually overflow, that the "screen" they overflow from
has a determinable shape (elliptical), and that this
"screen" subtends a determinate visual angle, the angle
of vision of the mind's eye.Such experiments cry out for
explanation. If images are pictures in the head, who (or what)
looks at them? Why haven't brain scientists found them? Such
questions are the subject of the great debate.I MAGERY is an
excellent choice for courses in cognitive psychology, perception:
artificial intelligence, computer science; philosophy of mind, of
psychology and of science; minds and machines, science and
society.Contributors include: Roger Brown and Richard Herrnstein
(on the work of Roger N. Shepard), Daniel Dennett, Jerry Fodor,
Robert Schwartz, Stephen Kosslyn, Steven Pinker, George Smith,
Steven Shwartz, and Zenon Pylyshyn,
The 'great debate' in cognitive science today is about the
nature of mental images. One side says images are basically
pictures in the head. The other side says they are like the symbol
structures in computers. If the picture-in-the-head theorists are
right, then computers will never be able to think like
people.
This book contains the most intelligible and incisive articles in
the debate, articles by cognitive psychologists, computer
scientists and philosophers. The most exciting imagery phenomena
are described, phenomena that indicate that mental images can be
rotated and scanned, that smaller images are harder to see than
larger ones, that when mental images are made larger they
eventually overflow, that the 'screen' they overflow from
has a determinable shape (elliptical), and that this
'screen' subtends a determinate visual angle, the angle of
vision of the mind's eye.
Such experiments cry out for explanation. If images are pictures in
the head, who (or what) looks at them? Why haven't brain
scientists found them? Such questions are the subject of the great
debate.
IMAGERY is an excellent choice for courses in cognitive psychology,
perception: artificial intelligence, computer science; philosophy
of mind, of psychology and of science; minds and machines, science
and society.
Contributors include: Roger Brown and Richard Herrnstein (on the
work of Roger N. Shepard), Daniel Dennett, Jerry Fodor, Robert
Schwartz, Stephen Kosslyn, Steven Pinker, George Smith, Steven
Shwartz, and Zenon Pylyshyn,
Review text:
'The unexpected revival of experimental work on the properties
of mental images has stimulated both elegant experimentation and
intense philosophical controversy; this exceptionally well-selected
group of papers includes examples of both, Every cognitive
scientist and every philosopher of mind should be
fascinated!'
-- Hilary Putnam, Harvard University
'Ned Block's book, IMAGERY, would make an excellent,
coherent unit for undergraduate and graduate study. It contains
many of the critical studies and covers the high points of the
experimental and theoretical research in mental representation,
which is fast becoming the fundamental issue in cognitive
science.'
--Edward Smith, Bolt, Beranek and Newman Inc., Harvard University
"The unexpected revival ofexperimental work on the properties of mental images hasstimulated both elegant experimentation and intense philosophical controversy; thisexceptionally well-selectedgroup of papers includesexamples of both, Every cognitive scientist and every philosopher of mind should befascinated!" Hilary Putnam, Harvard University "Ned Block's book, IMAGERY,would make an excellent, coherent unit for undergraduate andgraduate study. It contains manyof the critical studies and coversthe high points of the experimental and theoretical researchin mental representation, which isfast becoming the fundamentalissue in cognitive science." Edward Smith,Bolt, Beranek and Newman Inc., Harvard University
Ned Block is Silver Professor of Philosophy and Psychology at New York University and was Chair of the Philosophy Program at MIT from 1990 to 1995. He is a coeditor of The Nature of Consciousness: Philosophical Debates (MIT Press, 1997).
