In summary: Good read. Very short. Covers some interesting ground and best of all, poses interesting questions. Not very much neurobiology.



The only other complete work by Searle that I have read is "Mind: A brief introduction." This book is similar in style though much narrower in scope. His account of free will is the same as it was elsewhere; I am not sure about the short piece on political power. Both were notable mostly for how clearly they framed the questions and the issues to allow for further discussion, rather than providing definitive answers. The introduction was my favorite chapter as it outlined what Searle takes to be the most important questions in philosophy today and situates those questions in a very engaging (albeit brief) way. Overall it was an enjoyable book, though not nearly as comprehensive as his other works.



I might recommend this book to someone who is interested in the philosophy of free will or social institutions and wants an introduction to Searle's work that is longer (and less technical) than most journal articles, but shorter than most books.