Description
Book SynopsisAn alarming number of philosophers and cognitive scientists have argued that mind extends beyond the brain and body. This book evaluates these arguments and suggests that, typically, it does not.
- A timely and relevant study that exposes the need to develop a more sophisticated theory of cognition, while pointing to a bold new direction in exploring the nature of cognition
- Articulates and defends the mark of the cognitive, a common sense theory used to distinguish between cognitive and non-cognitive processes
- Challenges the current popularity of extended cognition theory through critical analysis and by pointing out fallacies and shortcoming in the literature
- Stimulates discussions that will advance debate about the nature of cognition in the cognitive sciences
Trade Review"Where is human cognition located? Is human cognitive processing literally constituted (at least partly) by non-neural portions of the environment? The contemporary debate about extended cognition and the extended mind focuses on these questions, among others. Frederick Adams and Kenneth Aizawa's new book, The Bounds of Cognition (BC), contributes wonderfully to this debate. The book is critical of the extended approach; but Adams and Aizawa (A&A) also work toward a positive view, one that allows, in principle, for extended cognition, while yielding very little of it when fed the empirical facts."(
Philosophical Psychology, November 2010)
“
The Bounds of Cognition is the most thorough-going, forceful, and compelling critique of EMH so far.” (
Erkenntnis, September 2009)
"[This book] is without question a worthy and timely challenge to extended cognition, as well as to areas in related enterprises such as embodied cognition, situated cognition, dynamical systems theory and artificial life.... I recommend the book highly to anyone interested in these issues." (Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences, June 2009)
"This is a well written, well argued book. Written by philosophers mainly for philosophers.... It makes a serious contribution to the extended cognition debate that anyone with a serious interest in the issue needs to study." (Journal of Consciousness Studies, January 2009)
"Advocates of EMT must undoubtedly examine the arguments and criticisms that Adams and Aizawa offer in careful detail, because The Bounds of Cognition is the most forceful and most convincing criticism of their position so far." (Metapsychology, October 2008)
“The [authors] wrote this book as a reasoned challenge … .[It] offers an excellent overview of the promise, limits, and problems of bounded cognition. Recommended.” (Choice)
Table of ContentsPreface vii
Acknowledgments xii
1 Introduction 1
2 Refining the Issues 16
2.1 What are the Boundaries? 16
2.2 What is Cognition? 22
2.3 The Possibility of Extended Cognition 25
2.4 Conclusion 29
3 Original Content 31
3.1 Part of the Mark of the Cognitive: Non-Derived Content 32
3.2 The Basics on Derived and Underived Content 35
3.3 Dennett’s Critique of Original Content 39
3.4 Clark’s Critique of Original Content 46
3.5 Anti-Representationalism in Dynamical Systems and Mobile Robotics 51
3.6 Conclusion 55
4 Cognitive Processes 57
4.1 Individuating Process Types in Science 58
4.2 Individuating Processes in Cognitive Psychology 60
4.3 A Broader Category of Cognition 70
4.4 Conclusion 74
5 The Mark of the Cognitive, Extended Cognition Style 76
5.1 Cognition as Information Processing, as Computation, and as Abiding in the Meaningful 76
5.2 Operationalism 79
5.3 Is This Merely a Terminological Issue? 83
5.4 Conclusion 85
6 The Coupling-Constitution Fallacy 88
6.1 Some Examples of the Coupling-Constitution Fallacy 93
6.2 Replies to the Coupling-Constitution Fallacy 99
6.3 Conclusion 105
7 Extended Cognitive Systems and Extended Cognitive Processes 106
7.1 Dynamical Systems Theory and Coupling 107
7.2 Haugeland’s Theory of Systems and the Coupling of Components 112
7.3 Clark’s Theories of Systems and Coupling 119
7.4 Conclusion 130
8 Cognitive Equivalence, Complementarity, and Evolution 133
8.1 Cognitive Equivalence 133
8.2 The Complementarity Argument 143
8.3 Evolutionary Arguments 147
8.4 Conclusion: The Importance of the Mark of the Cognitive 150
9 Inference to the Best Explanation and Extended Cognition 152
9.1 What is the Theory of Enactive Perception? 153
9.2 Noë’s Evidence for Enactive Perception 156
9.3 The Case against Enactive Perception: Paralysis 166
9.4 Conclusion 172
10 Future Directions 174
Bibliography 180
Index 187
