First Person Plural: Multiple Personality and the Philosophy of the Mind - Hardcover

"First Person Plural" is a philosophical examination of multiple personality disorder (MPD) and its significance for a variety of classic issues in the philosophy of mind. Braude places the phenomenon of MPD in the broader context of the history of hypnosis and the study of dissociation. He argues that the psychic divisions produced through splitting in MPD are deeper than those produced in ordinary hypnosis and psychogenic fugue. The concept of dissociation is clarified and distinguished from the related concepts of repression and suppression. Braude argues that even the extreme disunities of MPD presuppose an underlying psychological unity. He also contends that analyses of mental functioning in the mechanistic terms drawn from computer science and artificial intelligence are deeply confused, and demonstrate a very superficial grasp of the nature of cognitive abilities. Finally, Braude, examines the similarities and differences between MPD and mediumship. This book should be of interest to advanced teachers and students of the philosophy of mind and professionals involved in the care of the mentally ill.