Promotional Information

"At last, a thorough, authoritative source for work in the cognitivesciences. Take the most important topics in the study of cognition,ask the world's top authorities to summarize the state of the art, andyou have it: The MIT Encyclopedia. I have already used it tolearn, to browse, to inform, to teach, and to update my ownunderstanding. It doesn't matter which end you seek: the book willfrequently be in use." Donald A. Norman, The Nielsen Norman Group; ProfessorEmeritus, Department of Cognitive Science, UC, San Diego; and authorof The Invisible Computer When I come across certain concepts or ideas during the class discussions or in our texts that I'm unclear about, I often refer to the encyclopedia for a concise, well-written overview of that particular topic. On each occasion, I've always been able to find at least one relevant article. The information that I've been able to walk away with has been so very helpful. I find the entries to be quite accessible even to beginning philosophy students like myself, without being oversimplified or vague. I love surfing the encyclopedia after class, as it also serves to reinforce key issues that were discussed during the lecture. -- Diana Applegate, student, Bryn Mawr College Among the human mind's proudest accomplishments is the invention of a science dedicated to understanding itself: cognitive science. In less than fifty years, deep mysteries of antiquity have been brought into the lab and captured in rigorous theories. This volume is an authoritative guide to this exhilarating new body of knowledge, written by the experts, edited with skill and good judgment. If we were to leave a time capsule for the next millennium with records of the great achievements of civilization, this volume would have to be in it. -- Steve Pinker, Professor of Psychology, MIT, and author of How the Mind Works and The Language Instinct

Promotional Information

"At last, a thorough, authoritative source for work in the cognitivesciences. Take the most important topics in the study of cognition,ask the world's top authorities to summarize the state of the art, andyou have it: The MIT Encyclopedia. I have already used it tolearn, to browse, to inform, to teach, and to update my ownunderstanding. It doesn't matter which end you seek: the book willfrequently be in use." Donald A. Norman, The Nielsen Norman Group; ProfessorEmeritus, Department of Cognitive Science, UC, San Diego; and authorof The Invisible Computer

About the Author

Robert A. Wilson is Professor of Philosophy at La Trobe University, the author of Genes and the Agents of Life, and coeditor of The MIT Encyclopedia of the Cognitive Sciences and of Explanation and Cognition (MIT Press). He directed the project that built EugenicsArchive.ca and is a director and the executive producer of the documentary Surviving Eugenics. Frank C. Keil is Professor of Psychology at Yale University.

Reviews

"This major work is an impressive and extremely useful volume which stands as an outstanding contribution to the furthering of cognitive science because of its accessibility, comprehensiveness and scope." - Paul Rogers, Journal of Consciousness Studies; "The structure of the book encourages further browsing...so be prepared to spend at least an hour on each session because once you start reading it is very difficult to stop." - David Peebles, Perception