Embodied Cognition, Enactivism and the Extended Mind

Workshop, 10 - 11 December 2009

This workshop will explore the complementary analyses of embodied, enactive and extended approaches to cognition. In particular workshop participants will focus on: whether there is a biological basis to the extended mind? Whether cognition is embodied and embedded but not extended? And whether an enactive account of cognitive skills excludes appeal to cognitive representations? The workshop is part of the ARC Discovery project: Embodied Virtues and Expertise.

Recent research on embodied cognition, enactivism and the extended mind depicts thought and reason as inextricably tied to the details of bodily form, habits of action and the complex web of social and cultural interactions, technological artefacts and linguistic and representational tokens in which we live, move, learn and think. Just how we think of the way that out bodies and environments shape and constitute our minds matters to empirical and philosophical work on the self, the mind and our capacities to think and reason. Taking the body, environment and culture seriously is making a difference to how researchers approach the study of these interrelated phenomena.

Workshop Timetable:

10 December 2009

8 – 9 Registration and coffee

9 – 9.15 Welcome

9.15 - 10.30 Shaun Gallagher (University of Central Florida)

10.30 - 10.50 Morning coffee

10.50 – 12.05 John Sutton (Macquarie University)

12.05 – 1.20 Karola Stotz (University of Sydney)

1.20 - 2.20 Lunch

2.20 - 3.35 Ben Jeffares (University of Wellington)

3.35 – 3.55 Afternoon coffee

3.55 – 5.10 Richard Menary (UOW)

11 December 2009

9 - 10.15 Dan Hutto (University of Hertfordshire)

10.15 – 10.30 Morning coffee

10.30 – 11.45 Kim Sterelny (Australian National University)

11.45 – 1 Wayne Christensen (Macquarie University)

1 – 2 Lunch

2 – 3.15 David Simpson (UOW)

3.15 – 3.45 Afternoon coffee

3.45 Workshop closes
 

UOW University Research Council Funded | UOW CAPSTRANS Funded | ARC Discovery Project Embodied Virtues and Expertise

Please contact Richard Menary for registration details, there is a limit on the number of places.

Last reviewed: 23 November, 2009