Thinking Matter

Thinking Matter is an original and provocative look at the nature of consciousness. While many contemporary philosophers have downplayed the significance of the body and subscribed to a brain/body dualism in human consciousness, Joseph S. Catalano argues that it is the entire fleshy body that thinks; the body of the dancer, the hands of the writer, and the eyes of the reader are not merely instruments of thought, but forms of thought itself. Calling for a thorough rethinking of philosophic traditions from Aristotle to Sartre, Catalano offers a holistic view of the bodily nature of consciousness--one that focuses on the total organic body rather than the brain alone. Introduction: The Perspective I: The Body and the World 1.Matter and Pure Enquiry 2.Moving Matter, Thinking Thoughts 3.Knowledge as Worldmaking 4.Matters and Modalities II: On Names and Things 5.Names and Things 6.The Transcendence of Mind 7.The Written Word Conclusion: The Anthropocentric Universe Appendix I: The Snub and the Population Question Appendix II: On Names Selected Bibliography Index