The Routledge Handbook of Philosophy of Pain

The phenomenon of pain is one of the central problems and paradoxes in philosophy. For Aristotle pain was like an emotion, whereas in contemporary philosophy pain is taken to be a feature of consciousness experience. Yet despite increasing awareness of pain in psychology and medicine and the fast-growing industry on "pain management", pain is still poorly understood and multiple theories and models of pain abound.

The Routledge Handbook of Philosophy of Pain is an outstanding reference source to the key topics, problems and debates in this exciting and interdisciplinary subject and is the first collection of its kind. Comprising over thirty chapters by a team of international contributors the Handbook is divided into nine clear parts:

• Modelling pain in philosophy
• Modelling pain in neuroscience
• Modelling pain in psychology
• Theoretical Implications: philosophy of mind
• Epistemology
• Pain in philosophy of religion
• Pain in ethics
• Pain in medicine
• Pain in law.

As well as fundamental topics in the philosophy of pain such as sensation, consciousness and perception many other important topics are covered including biopsychological, cognitive behavioural and psychodynamic models of pain; pain and non-human animals; rationality; mental disorder; pain and placebo effects; and pain and physician assisted suicide.

The Routledge Handbook of Philosophy of Pain is essential reading for students and researchers in philosophy of mind, philosophy of psychology and ethics. It will also be very useful for those in related fields, such as psychology, medicine and health studies.

Jennifer Corns is Lecturer in Philosophy at the University of Glasgow, UK. Her published research focuses on pain and affect. She aims to use philosophical tools and evaluate empirical research to make progress on topics that matter within and beyond the academy. She is currently revising a monograph, Pain is Not a Natural Kind.