In these gnomic-cryptic reflections the late Prof. Miller
(Philosophy, Williams Coll.) examines the world of mental
exprience, arguing that it has a special status - reducible neither
to the radical subjectivism of the stream-of-consciousness nor to
the pseudoscientific objectification of behaviorism. This volume is
the fifth in the publisher's series of Miller's posthumous papers.
Like the others, it is not really a finished book (it concludes
with a "selection of paragraphs" and some class notes by one of
M.'s students), but its dry wit and analytic adroitness make it a
worthy project. In his laconic, unsystematic way Miller defends
what is basically a traditional view of the psyche (freedom of the
will, the privileged nature of human consciousness) by laying claim
to an intellectual homeland in between Bishop Berkeley and B. F.
Skinner. This is what Miller calls the "midworld," a sphere that is
neither "real" (in the physico-chemical sense) nor merely apparent,
but where reality and appearance are joined together in the
"actual," where constructs like clocks, yardsticks, or words
mediate between persons and objects. Though he never quite sums up
his case, Miller comes close when he says, apropos of the problem
of how we know other minds: "One finds objects only through the
self, through the wholeness of the self, through a peculiar self,
through a limited and bounded self, through the society of selves."
Miller's style requires a lot of unpacking and spelling out - the
text is full of quasi-koans like "there are no stones until I throw
one" - but it's also unusually pungent and free of academic jargon.
Americans generally leave the field of philosophical psychology
(except for the inspirational and self-help genre) to Europeans,
but this fragmentary survey of it from a commonsensical-empirical
standpoint contains some rich and stimulating material. (Kirkus
Reviews)
Discusses the nature of psychology, compares the theories of
psychoanalysis and behaviorism, and shows the unity of general and
abnormal psychology.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
