Stressing the Flesh: In Defense of Strong Embodied Cognition

Philosophy and Phenomenological Research 86 (3):590-617 (2012)
  Copy   BIBTEX

Abstract

In a recent paper, Andy Clark (2008) has argued that the literature on embodied cognition reveals a tension between two prominent strands within this movement. On the one hand, there are those who endorse what Clark refers to as body-centrism, a view which emphasizes the special contribution made by the body to a creature’s mental life. Among other things, body centrism implies that significant differences in embodiment translate into significant differences in cognition and consciousness. On the other hand, there are those who endorse what Clark calls extended functionalism, a view which sees the mind as the joint product of the computational resources presented by (i) intracranial processing, (ii) bodily input, and (iii) environmental scaffolding. As such, extended functionalism allows for the possibility that any contribution of the body to cognition and consciousness can be compensated for by the other two contributing factors. While Clark’s sympathies lie with the latter approach, we argue in favour of the former. In particular, we focus on consciousness and argue that the unique contribution the body makes to a creature’s manifold of phenomenal experience cannot be compensated for, in the manner, and on the scale, that Clark envisages

Links

PhilArchive



    Upload a copy of this work     Papers currently archived: 90,221

External links

Setup an account with your affiliations in order to access resources via your University's proxy server

Through your library

Similar books and articles

Pressing the flesh: A tension in the study of the embodied, embedded mind.Andy Clark - 2008 - Philosophy and Phenomenological Research 76 (1):37–59.
Embodying the Mind by Extending It.Pierre Jacob - 2012 - Review of Philosophy and Psychology 3 (1):33-51.
The embodied cognition research programme.Larry Shapiro - 2007 - Philosophy Compass 2 (2):338–346.
The Meaning of Embodiment.Julian Kiverstein - 2012 - Topics in Cognitive Science 4 (4):740-758.
Embodied cognition.A. Wilson Robert & Foglia Lucia - 2011 - Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
Embodied Social Cognition.Shannon Spaulding - 2011 - Philosophical Topics 39 (1):141-162.
Embodiment, emotion, and cognition.Michelle Maiese - 2010 - New York, NY: Palgrave-Macmillan.

Analytics

Added to PP
2012-03-23

Downloads
128 (#131,078)

6 months
6 (#201,364)

Historical graph of downloads
How can I increase my downloads?

Author Profiles

Itay Shani
Sun Yat Sen University, Zhuhai Campus
Liam P. Dempsey
Kwantlen Polytechnic University

References found in this work

The extended mind.Andy Clark & David J. Chalmers - 1998 - Analysis 58 (1):7-19.
The Principles of Psychology.William James - 1890 - London, England: Dover Publications.
Metaphors we live by.George Lakoff & Mark Johnson - 1980 - Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Edited by Mark Johnson.
What is it like to be a bat?Thomas Nagel - 1974 - Philosophical Review 83 (October):435-50.

View all 30 references / Add more references