The Intellectual Powers: a Study of Human Nature is a philosophical investigation into the cognitive and cogitative abilities of mankind. It elaborates a connective analysis of consciousness and self-consciousness, intentionality, linguistic ability, knowledge, belief, sensation, perception, memory, thought, and imagination. Each chapter contains a detailed survey of one of these faculties, as well as an analysis of the illusions of reason that have dogged the efforts of past and present philosophers to grasp the nature and limits of our epistemic powers. Together they present a compelling picture both of what connects us to the rest of the animal kingdom and of what is unique to humankind.

This book is a sequel to Human Nature: the Categorial Framework (2007), but it is completely self-contained. It is written in a style that is lucid and jargon-free. The text is illustrated by tables, tree-diagrams, and charts to provide overviews of the conceptual relationships disclosed by analysis. This comprehensive investigation constitutes an indispensable handbook for all students of epistemology and philosophy of mind.

Ranging widely over topics in epistemology, philosophy of psychology, metaphysics, and philosophical anthropology, this work presents the mature, original reflections of one of Britain's best philosophical minds.