Daniel Dennett

This book offers an introduction to and overview of Dennett's ideas, his writings and his contributions to the various fields of philosophy. Daniel Dennett is one of America's most important and influential contemporary philosophers. He has made considerable contributions to the philosophy of mind and to evolutionary thought. While he has clarified his ideas considerably, his fundamental philosophical approach has remained largely unchanged throughout his career. This book offers an introduction to Dennett's ideas, his key writings and his contributions to the various fields of philosophy. Thematically organised, the book presents a consistent and accessible philosophy. David L. Thompson examines philosophical problems in consciousness, self, religion, ethics, evolution, freedom and ontology and provides a clear account of how Dennett resolves these issues. Thompson explores the twentieth-century stand-off between the scientific worldview, on the one hand, and ethics, freedom and human dignity on the other. Ultimately he presents Dennett's work as reconciling these two approaches.The book covers all Dennett's key texts and presents a number of Dennett's often brilliant thought experiments. This is the ideal companion to study of this hugely influential thinker. "The Continuum Contemporary American Thinkers" series offers concise and accessible introductions to the most important and influential thinkers at work in philosophy today. Designed specifically to meet the needs of students and readers encountering these thinkers for the first time, these informative books provide a coherent overview and analysis of each thinker's vital contribution to the field of philosophy. The series is the ideal companion to the study of these most inspiring and challenging of thinkers.

David L. Thompson is Professor of Philosophy (retired) at Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada. His previous publications include Dennett's Philosophy: A Comprehensive Assessment (ed. with Don Ross and Andrew Brook, MIT Press, 2000).