Reddit reviews Touching a Nerve: The Self as Brain

> No soul, no separation of consciousness from body. We are biological machines

This would be closer to monism and naturalism.
It can be perturbing to think about, so I suggest you brush up on it before introducing others. It will be nice to have answers to their questions on hand, because it does bring about many.

This book does a great job at giving you an idea of how to look at the world as a monist. I actually read it as a suggestion from a neuroscience professor at my university.

However, to address the more specific question "Are atheists materialists as well?" The short answer is no. Technically even Bhuddists are atheists, since they don't believe in a god. Atheists are just people who don't believe in a God. Though most atheists don't subscribe to superstitious beliefs such as souls.

Here is a good read.. https://www.amazon.com/Touching-Nerve-Self-as-Brain/dp/0393058328

This book is not about atheist philosophy per se, but explores what it means for morality and philosophy if you accept the premise that the mind (intelligence) is entirely contained within the physical brain/body. The author is a neurophilosopher. I didn't even know that was a field of study before I heard about this book.

>I guess what I'm searching for is some evidence of current philosophy that is actually contributing in a positive way to the field of evolution/biology. What I've found is, frankly, a lot of talking bollocks and very little genuinely useful ideas.

I'd suggest John Wilkins who writes a lot on evolution and biology, as well as Alexander Rosenberg, Carl Craver, William Bechtel, Paul Thagard, Patricia Churchland, Walter Sinnott-Armstrong. Some of those toward the end of the list are mind/brain philosophers more so than philosophers specifically of evolution and biology. But contributions in those fields matter too.

True. I can't recommend it since I haven't actually read it, but she does have a new one, Touching a Nerve.