George Graham

Philosophy of Mind: Classical Problems and Contemporary Issues Brian Beakley & Peter Ludlow, 1992 Cambridge, Mass., MIT Press xvi + 433pp, notes, index, US$19.95, $39.95Principles of Mental Imagery Ronald A. Finke MIT Press/A Bradford Book 179pp. $19.95The Realistic Spirit: Wittgenstein, Philosophy, and the Mind Cora Diamond, 1991 Cambridge, Mass, and London, MIT Press 396pp with index. $32.50Rethinking Religion: Connecting Cognition and Culture E. Thomas Lawson & Robert N. Mccauley 1990 Cambridge, Cambridge University Press 184 pp $42.50.

  Too little attention has been paid by philosophers to the cognitive and epistemic dimensions of emotional disturbances such as depression, grief, and anxiety and to the possibility of justification or warrant for such conditions. The chief aim of the present paper is to help to remedy that deficiency with respect to depression. Taxonomy of depression reveals two distinct forms: depression (1) with intentionality and (2) without intentionality. Depression with intentionality can be justified or unjustified, warranted or unwarranted. I argue that the effort of Aaron Beck to show that depressive reasoning is necessarily illogical and distorted is flawed. I identify an essential characteristic of that depression which is a mental illness. Finally, I describe the potential of depression to provide credal contact with important truths

Psychiatry is unique in medicine in being on the border between science and the humanities. Science provides insight into the 'causes' of a problem, enabling us to formulate an 'explanation', while the humanities provide insight into its 'meanings' and helps with our 'understanding'. The new interdisciplinary field of 'philosophy of psychiatry' has developed to explore the range of issues relevant to this border country. The Oxford Textbook of Philosophy and Psychiatry is a unique textbook which provides a detailed introduction to the field, a framework for study and skill development, and an overview of current research. It focuses on case studies in 5 key topic areas. Each case study is supported by selected readings from both philosophy and mental health, thinking skills exercises, self-test questions, key learning points and detailed guides to further reading