Embodied cognition
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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| + | [[Image:The Heart Has Its Reasons by Odilon Redon.jpg |thumb|left|200px|''[[The Heart Has Its Reasons]]'' (c.1887) by Odilon Redon, a phrase from the ''Pensées'' (1669) by Blaise Pascal]] | ||
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| + | [[Image:Diagram of the human mind, from Robert Fludd (1574-1637), Utriusque cosmic maioris scilicet et minoris metaphysica.jpg|thumb|right|200px|''[[Utriusque cosmi maioris scilicet et minoris metaphysica]]'' by [[Robert Fludd]]]] | ||
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| + | "[Man is more than] a winged [[cherub]] without a body. [He] is himself rooted in that world; he finds himself in it as an ''individual'', that is to say, his knowledge, which is the necessary supporter of the whole world as idea, is yet always given through the medium of a body." --Schopenhauer, book 2 of ''[[The World as Will and Representation]]'' | ||
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| + | If someone says, “I have a body,” he can be asked, “Who is speaking here with this mouth?” Wittgenstein, ''[[On Certainty]]'', §244 | ||
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| + | "The statement that every [[organism]] is an [[Embodied cognition |embodied theory]] about its environment must be taken literally."--''[[Philosophical Darwinism]]'' (1993) by Peter Munz | ||
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| {{Template}} | {{Template}} | ||
| - | '''Embodied philosophy''' (also known as the ''embodied mind thesis'', ''embodied cognition'' or the ''embodied cognition thesis'') usually refers to a set of arguments proposed by various authors including [[George Lakoff]] and [[Mark Turner (cognitive scientist)|Mark Turner]], which suggest that the [[mind]] can only be well understood by taking into account the [[body]] and the more [[primitive]] underpinnings of the mind. | + | In [[philosophy]], the '''embodied mind thesis''' holds that the nature of the [[human mind]] is largely determined by the form of the [[human body]]. |
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| + | [[Philosopher]]s, [[psychology|psychologist]]s, [[cognitive science|cognitive scientist]]s, and [[artificial intelligence|artificial intelligence researcher]]s who study '''embodied cognition''' and the '''embodied mind''' argue that all aspects of cognition are shaped by aspects of the body. The aspects of cognition include high level mental constructs (such as [[concept]]s and [[Categorization|categories]]) and human performance on various cognitive tasks (such as reasoning or judgment). The aspects of the body include the [[motor system]], the [[perceptual system]], the body's interactions with the environment ([[situated]]ness) and the [[ontological]] assumptions about the world that are built into the body and the brain. | ||
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| + | The embodied mind thesis is opposed to other theories of [[cognition]] such as [[Cognitivism (psychology)|cognitivism]], [[computationalism]], and [[Dualism (philosophy of mind)|Cartesian dualism]]. The idea has roots in [[Kant]] and [[continental philosophy|20th century continental philosophy]] (such as [[Merleau-Ponty]]). The modern version depends on insights drawn from recent research in [[psychology]], [[linguistics]], [[cognitive science]], [[Cognitive model#Dynamical systems|dynamical systems]], [[artificial intelligence]], [[robotics]] and [[neurobiology]]. | ||
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| + | Embodied cognition is a topic of research in [[social psychology|social]] and [[cognitive psychology]], covering issues such as [[social interaction]] and [[decision-making]]. Embodied cognition reflects the argument that the [[motor system]] influences our cognition, just as the mind influences bodily actions. For example, when participants hold a pencil in their teeth engaging the muscles of a smile, they comprehend pleasant sentences faster than unpleasant ones. And it works in reverse: holding a pencil in their lips to engage the muscles of a frown increases the time it takes to comprehend pleasant sentences. | ||
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| + | [[George Lakoff]] (a [[cognitive scientist]] and [[linguistics|linguist]]) and his collaborators (including [[Mark Johnson (professor)|Mark Johnson]] and [[Mark Turner (cognitive scientist)|Mark Turner]]) have written a series of books promoting and expanding the thesis based on discoveries in [[cognitive science]], such as [[conceptual metaphor]] and [[image schema]]. | ||
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| + | [[Robotic]]s researchers have argued that true [[artificial intelligence]] can only be achieved by machines that have [[Sensory perception|sensory]] and [[motor skills]] and are connected to the world through a body. | ||
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| + | [[Neurobiology|Neuroscientist]]s have outlined the connection between the body, individual structures in the brain and aspects of the mind such as [[consciousness]], [[emotion]], [[self-awareness]] and [[Will (philosophy)|will]]. [[Biology]] has also inspired [[Gregory Bateson]] to develop a closely related version of the idea, which they call [[enactivism]]. | ||
| - | Lakoff and Johnson (1999) argue that the embodiment hypothesis entails that our conceptual structure and linguistic structures are shaped by the peculiarities of our perceptual structures. As evidence, they cite research on embodiment effects from [[mental rotation]] and [[mental imagery]], [[image schema]]s, gesture, sign language, color terms, and [[conceptual metaphor]] among other examples. | ||
| - | According to Lakoff and Johnson, an embodied philosophy "would show the laws of thought to be [[metaphor]]ical, not [[logic]]al; truth would be a metaphorical construction, not an attribute of [[Objectivity (philosophy)|objective]] [[reality]]." That is, it would not rely on any [[foundation ontology]] from the [[physical science]]s or from [[religion]], but would likely proceed from metaphors known to be effective for certain situations, as in the [[philosophy of action]]. | ||
| - | == Philosophical roots == | ||
| - | In his pre-critical period, philosopher [[Immanuel Kant]] advocated a remarkably similar embodied view of the [[mind-body problem]] that was part of his ''[[Universal Natural History and Theory of Heaven]]'' (1755). [[José Ortega y Gasset]], [[George Santayana]], [[Miguel de Unamuno]], [[Maurice Merleau-Ponty]], [[Martin Heidegger]] and others in the broadly [[existential]] tradition have proposed philosophies of mind very close to the 'embodiment' thesis. | ||
| - | ==See also== | ||
| - | *[[Human body]] | ||
| - | *[[Corporeality]] | ||
| == See also == | == See also == | ||
| - | *[[Embodiment]] | + | *[[Bodily functions]] |
| + | *[[Cognitive linguistics]] | ||
| + | *[[Cognitive science]] | ||
| + | *[[Conceptual blending]] | ||
| + | *[[Conceptual metaphor]] | ||
| + | *[[Grotesque body]] | ||
| + | *[[Image schema]] | ||
| + | *[[Philosophy of mind]] | ||
| + | *[[Man is more than a winged cherub without a body]] | ||
| + | == See also == | ||
| + | *[[Action-specific perception]] | ||
| + | *[[Active inference]] | ||
| + | *[[Blue Brain Project]] | ||
| + | *[[Cognitive biology]] | ||
| *[[Cognitive linguistics]] | *[[Cognitive linguistics]] | ||
| *[[Cognitive neuropsychology]] | *[[Cognitive neuropsychology]] | ||
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| *[[Conceptual blending]] | *[[Conceptual blending]] | ||
| *[[Conceptual metaphor]] | *[[Conceptual metaphor]] | ||
| + | *[[Ecological psychology]] | ||
| + | *[[Embodied bilingual language]] | ||
| *[[Embodied cognitive science]] | *[[Embodied cognitive science]] | ||
| - | *[[Embodied Embedded Cognition]] | + | *[[Embodied embedded cognition]] |
| *[[Embodied music cognition]] | *[[Embodied music cognition]] | ||
| + | *[[Embodied phenomenology]] | ||
| *[[Enactivism]] | *[[Enactivism]] | ||
| + | *[[Extended cognition]] | ||
| + | *[[Extended mind thesis]] | ||
| + | *[[Externalism]] | ||
| *[[Image schema]] | *[[Image schema]] | ||
| *[[Moravec's paradox]] | *[[Moravec's paradox]] | ||
| + | *[[Neuroconstructivism]] | ||
| *[[Neuropsychology]] | *[[Neuropsychology]] | ||
| *[[Neurophenomenology]] | *[[Neurophenomenology]] | ||
| *[[Philosophy of mind]] | *[[Philosophy of mind]] | ||
| - | *[[Externalism]] | + | *[[Plant cognition]] |
| - | *[[Situated cognition]] | + | *''[[Where Mathematics Comes From]]'' |
| - | *[[Where Mathematics Comes From]] | + | |
| {{GFDL}} | {{GFDL}} | ||
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"[Man is more than] a winged cherub without a body. [He] is himself rooted in that world; he finds himself in it as an individual, that is to say, his knowledge, which is the necessary supporter of the whole world as idea, is yet always given through the medium of a body." --Schopenhauer, book 2 of The World as Will and Representation If someone says, “I have a body,” he can be asked, “Who is speaking here with this mouth?” Wittgenstein, On Certainty, §244 "The statement that every organism is an embodied theory about its environment must be taken literally."--Philosophical Darwinism (1993) by Peter Munz |
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In philosophy, the embodied mind thesis holds that the nature of the human mind is largely determined by the form of the human body.
Philosophers, psychologists, cognitive scientists, and artificial intelligence researchers who study embodied cognition and the embodied mind argue that all aspects of cognition are shaped by aspects of the body. The aspects of cognition include high level mental constructs (such as concepts and categories) and human performance on various cognitive tasks (such as reasoning or judgment). The aspects of the body include the motor system, the perceptual system, the body's interactions with the environment (situatedness) and the ontological assumptions about the world that are built into the body and the brain.
The embodied mind thesis is opposed to other theories of cognition such as cognitivism, computationalism, and Cartesian dualism. The idea has roots in Kant and 20th century continental philosophy (such as Merleau-Ponty). The modern version depends on insights drawn from recent research in psychology, linguistics, cognitive science, dynamical systems, artificial intelligence, robotics and neurobiology.
Embodied cognition is a topic of research in social and cognitive psychology, covering issues such as social interaction and decision-making. Embodied cognition reflects the argument that the motor system influences our cognition, just as the mind influences bodily actions. For example, when participants hold a pencil in their teeth engaging the muscles of a smile, they comprehend pleasant sentences faster than unpleasant ones. And it works in reverse: holding a pencil in their lips to engage the muscles of a frown increases the time it takes to comprehend pleasant sentences.
George Lakoff (a cognitive scientist and linguist) and his collaborators (including Mark Johnson and Mark Turner) have written a series of books promoting and expanding the thesis based on discoveries in cognitive science, such as conceptual metaphor and image schema.
Robotics researchers have argued that true artificial intelligence can only be achieved by machines that have sensory and motor skills and are connected to the world through a body.
Neuroscientists have outlined the connection between the body, individual structures in the brain and aspects of the mind such as consciousness, emotion, self-awareness and will. Biology has also inspired Gregory Bateson to develop a closely related version of the idea, which they call enactivism.
See also
- Bodily functions
- Cognitive linguistics
- Cognitive science
- Conceptual blending
- Conceptual metaphor
- Grotesque body
- Image schema
- Philosophy of mind
- Man is more than a winged cherub without a body
See also
- Action-specific perception
- Active inference
- Blue Brain Project
- Cognitive biology
- Cognitive linguistics
- Cognitive neuropsychology
- Cognitive neuroscience
- Cognitive science
- Conceptual blending
- Conceptual metaphor
- Ecological psychology
- Embodied bilingual language
- Embodied cognitive science
- Embodied embedded cognition
- Embodied music cognition
- Embodied phenomenology
- Enactivism
- Extended cognition
- Extended mind thesis
- Externalism
- Image schema
- Moravec's paradox
- Neuroconstructivism
- Neuropsychology
- Neurophenomenology
- Philosophy of mind
- Plant cognition
- Where Mathematics Comes From
