Introspection is fundamental and seemingly indispensable to understanding the conscious human mind. It is essential both to acquire and refine our knowledge of ourselves and to develop a philosophical and a scientific investigation of consciousness. It is also a controversial topic, celebrated both as the foundation for knowledge whilst being criticized for being hopelessly unreliable. Despite such disagreement, both the nature and study of introspection remains of prime importance for philosophy, psychology, and cognitive science.
The Routledge Handbook of Introspection is an outstanding exploration and reference source on introspection. Thirty-seven chapters written by an international team of expert contributors are divided into eight clear parts:
- Historical and Non-Western Perspectives on Introspection
- Theories of Introspection
- The Epistemology of Introspection
- Introspection and Consciousness Science
- Introspection, Consciousness, and the Self
- Introspection and Other Mental Phenomena
- Introspection, Psychology, and Psychoanalysis
- The Value of Introspection.
Within these sections, important concepts are examined, including the nature of introspection; privileged access; the self and self-knowledge; the metaphysics of consciousness; skepticism; transparency; attention; perception; action; inner speech; emotion and mood; self-deception; and the moral value of introspection.
A key strength of the Handbook is it engagement with topics in psychology and cognitive science. As such, The Routledge Handbook of Introspection will be of great interest to students and researchers in philosophy of mind and epistemology, as well as in psychology and cognitive science.