Pulverizing the Monopoly of Mind: Three Roles of the Body in Cognition

Authors

  • Akhil Kumar Singh IIT Jodhpur

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.12726/tjp.21.2

Keywords:

Embodiment, Cognition, Mind, Brain

Abstract

For many decades, cognition has been viewed as a computational process in the brain. For cognition, the brain, body and the interaction with the environment are important. Conventional views are inclined towards the existence of discrete and internal representations realised by highly specific mechanisms in the brain. The Embodied approach challenges this view and accepts the evolution of cognitive abilities.  There is a shift in focus from the belief that the brain is solely responsible for cognition to the thought that the body is somehow deeply integrated into cognition. However, it does not deny the central position of the brain in the process of cognition but opens the doors for other factors for integration. At the basic level, there are three ways in which an agent’s body can be utilised for the cognitive process. An agent’s body may help to generate, operate and distribute the cognitive processes. As a result, this approach tries to diminish the monopoly of the brain by taking into account the importance of the body and the environment for cognition.

Author Biography

Akhil Kumar Singh, IIT Jodhpur

IIT Jodhpur, India

References

Anderson, M. L. (2005). How to study the mind: An introduction to embodied cognition.
Embodied Cognition. (2015, August 08). Retrieved from Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy: https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/embodied-cognition/
Fodor, J. (1980). Methodological Solipsism Considered as a Research Strategy in Cognitive Science. Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 63-73.
Hurley, S., & Noe, A. (2003). Neural Plasticity and Consciousness. Biology and Philosophy, 131-168.
Kirsh, D., & Maglio, P. (1994). On Distinguishing Epistemic from Pragmatic Action. Cognitive Science, 18, 513-549.
Lakoff, G., & Johnson, M. (1999). Philosophy in the Flesh: the Embodied Mind & its Challenge to Western Thought. Basic Books .
Roe, A. W., Pallas, S. L., Kwon, Y. H., & Sur, M. (1992). Visual Projections Routed to the Auditory Pathway in Ferrets: Receptive Fields of Visual Neurons in Primary Auditory Cortex. The Journal of Neuroscience, 3651-3664.
Shapiro, L. (2010). Embodied Cognition (New Problems of Philosophy). Routledge.
Smith, L. B. (2005). Cognition as a dynamic system: Principles from embodiment. Developmental Review, 278-298.
Varela, F. J., Thompson, E., & Rosch, E. (1992). The embodied mind: Cognitive science and human experience. MIT Press.
Wilson, A. D., & Golonka, S. (2013). Embodied cognition is not what you think it is. Frontiers in Psychology.
Wilson, M. (2002). Six views of embodied cognition. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 625-636.

Downloads

Published

2019-01-01

How to Cite

Singh, A. K. (2019). Pulverizing the Monopoly of Mind: Three Roles of the Body in Cognition. Tattva Journal of Philosophy, 11(1), 19-29. https://doi.org/10.12726/tjp.21.2