October 11, 2016

Tempering Embodied Cognition Arguments

October 11, 2016
11:00am – 1:00pm
Fayerweather 513
Snacks will be provided.

While many of us may employ concepts and theories from the embodied cognition literature in our own work, it needs to be noted that the philosophical and scientific assertions of the field are not a settled matter. There are direct critiques of its assertions, as well as a need for greater clarity in places.

At this meeting, we will discuss some reading that challenges some embodied cognition assertions (and a piece by Anthony Chemero, who is challenged in the other articles) in order to hone our understanding of the theories. This meeting will serve the dual purpose of preparing for our November meeting in which we will host Professor Kenneth Aizawa (Rutgers) along with respondents from Columbia and SUNY Purchase (details TBC). At our October meeting, we will discuss the following reading. We will also collectively come up with a set of questions to ask Prof. Aizawa when he visits.

We hope you can join us for this discussion, and lend your own expertise.

Readings:

Aizawa, K. (2007). “Understanding the Embodiment of Perception.” The Journal of Philosophy, 104(1), 5–25.

Aizawa, K. (2015). “What is This Cognition that is Supposed to be Embodied?” Philosophical Pyschology, 28(6), 755–775.

Chemero, A. (2013). “Radical Embodied Cognitive Science.” Review of General Psychology, 17(2), 145–150.

Mahon, B. Z. (2015). “What is Embodied about Cognition?” Language, Cognition and Neuroscience, 30(4), 420–429.