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 psychology, as well as in psychology and cognitive science.
List of Contributors
Introduction Anna Giustina
Part 1: Historical and Non-Western Perspectives on Introspection
1. Introspection in Medieval Philosophy Susan Brower-Toland
2. Cartesian Perspectives on Consciousness and Introspection François Recanati
3. An Adverbial Account of Introspection: Insights from Early Analytic Philosophy Arnaud Dewalque and Ethan Harley Field
4. Wittgenstein on Introspection Chon Tejedor
5. Introspection in Early Experimental Psychology Maja Spener
6. Introspection in Early Buddhism: A Study of Sati in the Four Satipaṭṭhānas Jenny Hung
7. Introspection in the African Tradition Thaddeus Metz
Part 2: Theories of Introspection
8. A New Perceptual Theory of Introspection Uriah Kriegel
9. Acquaintance Theories of Introspection Matt Duncan
10. Transparency Theories of Introspection Alex Byrne
11. How to Be a Rationalist about Introspection Daniel Stoljar
12. Pluralist Theories of Introspection Kateryna S. Franco
Part 3: The Epistemology of Introspection
13. Introspection and Privileged Access Yavuz Başoğlu and Katalin Farkas
14. Introspection and Revelation Michelle Liu
15. Skepticism about Introspection (and Some Ways to Address It) Anna Giustina
16. Keeping Introspective Judgments in Perspective: From Epistemic Limits to Degrees of Accuracy Adriana Renero
Part 4: Introspection and Consciousness Science
17. Introspection and Scientific Data Matthias Michel
18. On What Can’t Be Accessed: The Empirical Case against Introspection Benjamin Kozuch
19. 100 Things to Know about Pristine Inner Experience Russell T. Hurlburt
20. From Introspection to Micro-Phenomenology Claire Petitmengin
Part 5: Introspection, Consciousness, and the Self
21. Introspection and the Metaphysics of Consciousness Robert J. Howell
22. Is the Self Introspectable? Kristina Musholt
23. Introspection and First-Person Thought Daniel Morgan and Léa Salje
Part 6: Introspection and Other Mental Phenomena
24. Introspection and the Transparency of Experience Davide Bordini
25. Introspection and Attention Sebastian Watzl
26. The Role of Introspection in the Philosophy of Perception Adam Pautz
27. Introspection and Bodily Awareness Adrian J. T. Alsmith
28. Introspection and Agency Myrto Mylopoulos
29. Introspection and Inner Speech Marta Jorba
30. Introspection of Emotion: Teachings from Aesthetics Íngrid Vendrell Ferran
31. Walking through the ‘Fields and Vast Palaces of Memory’: On Some Connections between Memory and Introspection Dorothea Debus
32. Introspection and Imagination Amy Kind
Part 7: Introspection, Psychology, and Psychoanalysis
33. Using Introspection in Clinical Contexts Huw Green
34. Introspection and Self-Deception Jordi Fernández
35. The Pause: Introspection and the Unconscious in Psychoanalysis Talia Morag
Part 8: The Value of Introspection
36. Introspection for Humans: Its Personal and Ethical Value Charles Siewert
37. Aesthetic Introspection Takuya Niikawa.
Index
Biography
Anna Giustina is an Assistant Professor (Ramon y Cajal fellow) at the University of Valencia, Spain. She works mainly in the areas of philosophy of mind and epistemology, particularly on consciousness, acquaintance, introspection, and self-knowledge. She is an associate editor of Analysis, and PI of the project “Know Yourself: The Importance, the Nature, and the Applications of Introspective Self-Knowledge”, financed by Spain’s Ministry of Science, Innovation, and the Universities (PID2023-151949NA-I00).
