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One is naturally inclined to say the tools that surround us--everything from paper and pencils to computers, clothing, and keys--complement our cognitive processing. That is common sense.
The Bounds of Cognition articulates and defends a theory of "the mark of the cognitive," a common sense approach to cognitive science that differentiates between cognitive and non-cognitive processes. Addressing the limits of the embodied mind, the mark of the cognitive is a refreshing alternative approach to "extended cognition" whose advocates--including a growing number of leading philosophers and psychologists--argue that cognitive processing is not "brain bound," and the mind extends beyond the boundary of the brain and body. Putting their theory of the cognitive into practice, the authors analyze and expose some of the fallacies and shortcomings of extended cognition literature. The Bounds of Cognition is a timely and relevant text that exposes the need to develop a more sophisticated theory of cognition while allowing flexibility in exploring the nature of cognition.
List of contents
Preface 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
About the author
Fred Adams is Professor of Cognitive Science and Philosophy at the University of Delaware. His interests include research on knowledge, language, intentional action, memory, and ethics. He authored the book The Bounds of Cognition in 2008.
Summary
The Bounds of Cognition defends a theory of "the mark of the cognitive," a common sense approach to cognitive science that differentiates between cognitive and non-cognitive processes. Addressing the limits of the embodied mind, the mark of the cognitive is a refreshing alternative approach to extended cognition.
