The Fragmented Mind
Keyword(s):
The Mind
◽
This collection of new essays discusses the hypothesis that the mind is fragmented, or compartmentalized. This Introduction explains what this hypothesis amounts to. It begins by outlining what different approaches to fragmentation have in common and what motivates them, contrasting fragmentation with a rival model called ‘unity.’ It then discusses the relationship between fragmentation and theses about cognitive architecture, introduces two classical theories of fragmentation, and sketches recent developments of the idea in the literature. Finally, as an overview of the volume, it presents some of the open questions about and issues with fragmentation that the contributions to this volume address.