Many people throughout the course of human history, across all human cultures, have believed themselves to be distinct from their physical bodies, and have used this belief to ground a hope for some form of life after death. The nature of the mind examines whether, and if so how, such beliefs can be rationally grounded.

Clearly written and rigorously presented, this book is intended for use in undergraduate courses in philosophy of mind.

Main topics covered include:
? the problem of other minds,
? the dualist/physicalist debate
? the nature of personal identity and survival
? mental-state concepts

The book closes with a number of pointers towards more advanced work in the subject, especially concerning recent debates about intentionality and consciousness.