The problem of addiction is one of the major challenges and controversies confronting medicine and society. It also poses important and complex philosophical and scientific problems. What is addiction? Why does it occur? And how should we respond to it, as individuals and as a society?

The Routledge Handbook of Philosophy and Science of Addiction is an outstanding reference source to the key topics, problems and debates in this exciting subject. It spans several disciplines and is the first collection of its kind. Organised into three clear parts, forty-five chapters by a team of international contributors examine key areas, including:

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• the meaning of addiction to individuals
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• conceptions of addiction
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• varieties and taxonomies of addiction
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• methods and models of addiction
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• evolution and addiction
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• history, sociology and anthropology
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• population distribution and epidemiology
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• developmental processes
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• vulnerabilities and resilience
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• psychological and neural mechanisms
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• prevention, treatment and spontaneous recovery
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• public health and the ethics of care
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• social justice, law and policy.
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Essential reading for students and researchers in addiction research and in philosophy, particularly philosophy of mind and psychology and ethics, The Routledge Handbook of Philosophy and Science of Addiction will also be of great interest to those in related fields, such as medicine, mental health, social work, and social policy.

About the Author

Hanna Pickard is Professor in Philosophy of Psychology at the University of Birmingham, UK, and a Visiting Research Scholar in the Program of Cognitive Science, Princeton University 2017-19.

Serge H. Ahmed is a Research Director at the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS). He currently works at the Centre Broca Nouvelle-Aquitaine, Bordeaux Neurocampus, Universite de Bordeaux, France.

Reviews

"This unique collection brings together a multiplicity of potential answers to the problem of drug and behavioural malfunctioning and the wider societal setting which frame these issues. It is an extremely valuable resource for students, and its wide-ranging scope allows researchers to move beyond disciplinary boundaries and methods." - Hannah Farrimond, University of Exeter, UK

"This Handbook is an exceptionally wide-ranging and multi-disciplinary collection of chapters on the general subject of addiction. The topics discussed are aptly multi-form, its contributions highly admirable, and editorial organization first-rate. It is an excellent compendium." - George Graham, author of The Disordered Mind (second edition 2013)

Book Information
ISBN 9780367571504
Author Hanna Pickard
Format Paperback
Page Count 600
Imprint Routledge
Publisher Taylor & Francis Ltd
Weight(grams) 997g