The Material Mind develops a concept of reduction that is compatible both with scientific change and with the possibility of multiple reduction bases. It shows that cognitive and other higher-level properties can be construed as causal powers, develops a concept of emergence compatible with reduction, and shows that the integration of the mind into a scientific conception of the world does not deprive mental properties and events of causal efficiency. The book defends the possibility of downward causation of physiological effects by cognitive causes, by questioning the justification of both the principle of the causal closure of the physical domain and the principle of causal-explanatory exclusion.

Kistler Max :

Max Kistler is a professor in the Department of Philosophy, Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University and senior member of Institut Universitaire de France. He is the author of Metaphysics of Causation and Causation and the Laws of Nature.

Simone Gozzano, Philosophy of Mind, Università dell’Aquila:
The Material Mind will guide you through the contrast between reduction and emergence of mental properties with a steady hand—a hand ready for a difficult and fascinating journey. It will argue in favour of both reduction at the proper level of analysis and causal efficacy of emergent mental properties. A difficult journey that is worth taking.