Embodied Cognition Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (2021)

Article: Embodied Cognition by Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (2021)

Embodied cognition emerged as a reaction to traditional computational cognitive science. It rejects the view that cognition is just computation over mental representations and emphasizes the role of the body and environment.

Three main themes in embodied cognition research are:

Conceptualization – The body shapes and constrains the concepts an organism can acquire. Concepts reflect the sensorimotor capabilities of the body.

Replacement – Traditional computational notions like representation and inference should be replaced with new tools like robotics and dynamical systems theory.

Constitution – The body and environment partly constitute cognitive processes, rather than just causally contributing to them.

Important inspirations for embodied cognition include ecological psychology, connectionism, phenomenology, robotics, and dynamical systems theory.

Evidence for embodied cognition comes from studies of conceptual processing, infant development, social cognition, moral reasoning, and more. Areas where it remains controversial include abstract concepts, explanation, and the theory of mental representation.

Key debates concern whether embodied cognition offers a radical break from traditional cognitive science or whether more moderate embodied approaches are feasible. The merits of replacing computational notions versus retaining but reformulating them are also disputed.

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