Topics Mind

Question What is the current philosophical viewpoint (from professional academics) regarding the concept of "the embodied mind"? I have just finished rereading "Philosophy in the Flesh" (Lakoff, Johnson); I would like to know the current philosophical standpoint regarding the proposition of the embodied mind. Thanks in advance for all replies!

Accepted:
December 18, 2006

Comments

I wouldn't say that there is a "current philosophical standpoint" about the idea of the "embodied mind," but I do think it's something that many philosophers of mind are sympathetic to these days. Here are two recommendations for further reading:

1) "Being There: Putting Brain, Body and World Together Again," by Andy Clark

2) "Action in Perception," by Alva Noe.

The idea has had a mixed reception.

There are many professional philosophers of mind who are not at all sympathic to it.

As my colleagues suggest, professional philosophers will have avaried responses to the various ideas and strands of argumentation thatarise in discussions of embidied minds, embodied cognition, embodiedepistemology, etc that arise in other disciplines.

Despite theirdiffering assessments of those things, I suspect that most philosopherswould look askance at the the fairly common move to try to drawsubstantive philosophical conclusions from new scientific evidence ornovek literary critical argumentation or the like: most professionalphilosophers, I suspect, will conclude that those arguments are hastybecause their proponents don't have a sophisticated enoughunderstanding of the complicated underlying philosophical issues.

So,this points to one reason why some philosophers are not at allsympathetic to discussions of embodied mind: they believe that thesediscussions are unlikely to bear any philosophical fruit because theyrest on an unsophisticated philosophical understanding.

Thisreaction also highlights why other practicioners from other disciplinestend not to want to colloborate with philosophers, who can come acrossas boorish snobs.