ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book discusses themes in philosophy of mind and examines dualism and the relation of the mind and the body. It explores behaviorism and the role of behaviorism in theoretical accounts of cultural differences in the brain. The book analyses identity theory, such as what identity theory accounts for with regard to cultural differences in the mind and brain. It addresses the role of culture in physical and experiential knowledge. The book also discusses reductionism and the theoretical position that levels of organization in a given scientific domain can be reduced through levels of organization within a different scientific domain. It describes how cultural systems shape psychological and neural mechanisms of knowledge. The book reviews naturalistic approaches to the study of culture and the brain. It also addresses the nature of explanation and its role in building scientific theory and empirical investigation.
