neurophilosophy « manwithoutqualities

The Character of Consciousness

March 11, 2010

Surely the biggest publishing event in mind – well since this one.

Comments Off | Andy Clark, Bounds of Cognition, Chalmers, Dennett, Supersizing the Mind, brain, cognition, cognitive science, complexity, consciousness, david chalmers, emergence, epistemology, extended mind, folk psychology, frank Jackson, functionalism, mind body, neuron, neurophilosophy, neuroscience, phenomenology, philosophy, philosophy of mind, philosophy of science, psychology, qualia, representationalism, the "hard" problem, tim bayne | Permalink
Posted by manwithoutqualities

“Empiricalizing” Heidegger

March 10, 2010

Tony Chemero has kindly sent me these links to a paper he, Dobromir Dotov and Lin Nie have just had published. The first link is to the full paper entitled “A Demonstration of the Transition from Ready-to-Hand to Unready-to-Hand.” The second link is to a popularized version of the aforementioned paper entitled “Your Computer Really Is a Part of You.” Also look out for Tony’s recently published book Radical Embodied Cognitive Science which will soon be reviewed in The Journal of Mind and Behavior by Rick Dale. I for one thoroughly enjoyed the book having read the proofs.

Comments Off | Adams & Aizawa, Andy Clark, Anthony Chimero, Bounds of Cognition, Dobromir Dotov, Fred Adams, Heidegger, Ken Aizawa, Lin Nie, Michael Wheeler, Rick Dale, Shaun Gallagher, Supersizing the Mind, artificial intelligence, brain science, cognitive science, consciousness, distributed cognition, distributed knowledge, embodiment, extended cognitive systems, extended mind, externalism, frame problem, hubert dreyfus, mind body, neurophilosophy, neuroscience, philosophy of mind, psychology, robert wilson, situated cognition | Permalink
Posted by manwithoutqualities

Mind in Life

March 5, 2010

I’ve just completed reading Evan Thompson’s Mind in Life: Biology, Phenomenology, and the Sciences of Mind, a work which I heartily endorse as the best statement yet of the enactivist theory of mind. I especially like his taking on the philosopher’s zombie and his chapter on Empathy and Enculturation. Last, but by no means least, Thompson has clarified ideas from his now classic collaboration with Varela and Rosch – The Embodied Mind. But never mind my view, check out Dorothée Legrand’s superb critical notice from The Journal of Mind and Behavior.

In Mind in Life: Biology, Phenomenology, and the Sciences of Mind, Evan Thompson defends the thesis of a “deep continuity of life and mind” according to which “life and mind share a set of basic organizational properties . . . . Mind is life-like and life is mind-like” (p. 128, also p. ix). On the one hand, Thompson uncovers mind in life, by considering life and explaining how living organisms are organized in a way that involves the biological implementation of properties that are usually attributed to mental states. On the other hand, he roots mind in life by considering the mind and explaining how mental states are anchored to (neuro)biological processes. Following the lead of Merleau–Ponty and his notion of “comportment” (1963, p. 4; see Mind in Life, p. 67), Thompson argues that the notion of autonomous dynamic system can integrate the orders of life and mind, and account for the originality of each order, allowing the understanding that “on the one hand, nature is not pure exteriority, but rather in the case of life has its own interiority and thus resembles mind. On the other hand, mind is not pure interiority, but rather a form of structure of engagement with the world and thus resembles life” (p. 78).

Requests for reprints should be sent to Dorothée Legrand, Centre de Recherche en Epistemologie Appliquee, 32, boulevard Victor, 75015 Paris, France.

Comments Off | Alva Noë, Andy Clark, Chalmers, Daniel Dennett, Dennett, Descartes, Dorothée Legrand, Eliminative Materialism, Embedded, Enacted, Evan Thompson, Gilbert Ryle, Mind in Life, Searle, active perception, artificial intelligence, autonomy, brain scans, brain science, cognition, cognitive closure, cognitive modeling, cognitive science, collective intentionality, complexity, concept of mind, consciousness, cybernetics, cyborgs, david chalmers, distributed cognition, distributed knowledge, embodiment, emergence, enactivism, evolutionary biology, evolutionary psychology, extended cognitive systems, extended mind, externalism, functionalism, ghost in the machine, intropection, journal of mind and behavior, knowing how knowing that, mark rowlands, memory, metaphysics, mind body, mirror neurons, nature-nurture, neurophilosophy, neuroscience, phenomenology, philosophy of biology, philosophy of mind, philosophy of social science, psychology, qualia, representationalism, sensation, situated cognition, social cognition, social constructivism, social epistemology, sociocognition, sociology, spontaneous order, susan hurley, the "hard" problem, turing test, varela | Permalink
Posted by manwithoutqualities

Hayek: Cognitive scientist Avant la Lettre

March 2, 2010

My published article is now available from here. Check out the full table of contents for this volume.

Comments Off | Economics, Edelman, Embedded, Enacted, Gilbert Ryle, Inevitability Thesis, Mass Collaboration, Road to Serfdom, The Road to Serfdom, artificial intelligence, austrian economics, behaviorism, brain science, cognition, cognitive closure, cognitive modeling, cognitive science, cognitive systems, collective intentionality, complexity, computational intelligence, concept of mind, connectionism, consciousness, constructivism, cybernetics, david chalmers, distributed cognition, distributed knowledge, embodiment, emergence, enactivism, epistemology, evolutionary psychology, extended cognitive systems, extended mind, externalism, frame problem, frank rosenblatt, functionalism, gerald edelman, hayek, hayek machine, hermeneutics, intentionality, knowing how knowing that, leslie marsh, metaphysics, mind body, networks, neurobiology, neuroeconomics, neurophilosophy, neuroscience, particle swarm optimization, philosophy of economics, philosophy of mind, philosophy of social science, psychology, qualia, rationality, representationalism, self-referentiality, situated cognition, social cognition, social connectionism, social constructivism, social epistemology, sociology, spontaneous order, stigmergy, swarm, swarm behavior, swarm intelligence, the "hard" problem, the sensory order | Permalink
Posted by manwithoutqualities

Art and the Nature of Consciousness

February 12, 2010

Check out the terrific work of artist Susan Aldworth. Her artistry emerges from both a philosophical and an empirical sensibility. See here for a brief profile and artist’s statement.

Comments Off | Descartes, Neurophysics, Susan Aldworth, aesthetics, brain, brain scans, brain science, category error, cognition, cognitive science, connectionism, consciousness, fMRI, ghost in the machine, homunculus, mind body, neurobiology, neuron, neurophilosophy, neuroscience, philosophy of mind, psychology, qualia | Permalink
Posted by manwithoutqualities

The Social Science of Hayek’s The Sensory Order

February 8, 2010

Here are the publisher’s details for this soon-to-be released volume that includes my paper “Hayek: cognitive scientist avant la lettre“

Comments Off | Bill Butos, Colin McGinn, Economics, Edelman, Embedded, Fuster, Gilbert Ryle, Inevitability Thesis, The Road to Serfdom, advances in austrian econmics, austrian economics, brain science, bruce caldwell, cognition, cognitive closure, cognitive ecology, cognitive science, cognitive systems, collective intentionality, complexity, computational intelligence, connectionism, consciousness, distributed cognition, distributed knowledge, embodiment, enactivism, evolutionary psychology, extended cognitive systems, extended mind, externalism, gerald edelman, hayek, knowing how knowing that, leslie marsh, liberalism, mind body, neurobiology, neuroeconomics, neurophilosophy, neuroscience, phenomenology, philosophy of economics, philosophy of mind, philosophy of social science, psychology, qualia, rationality, reason, situated cognition, social cognition, social connectionism, social constructivism, social epistemology, socialism, sociology, spontaneous order, stigmergy, the "hard" problem, the sensory order | Permalink
Posted by manwithoutqualities

Embodied Economics

January 22, 2010

Here’s a freely available download of an article entitled “Embodied economics: how bodily information shapes the social coordination dynamics of decision-making” from the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society. The article references many of the major embodiment theorists and refreshingly there is much on Hayek and of course The Sensory Order.

Comments Off | Andy Clark, Descartes, Economics, Edelman, Embedded, Evan Thompson, austrian economics, brain science, cognition, cognitive closure, cognitive ecology, cognitive science, complexity, computational intelligence, connectionism, distributed cognition, distributed knowledge, embodiment, emergence, enactivism, evolutionary psychology, extended mind, externalism, hayek, mind body, neurobiology, neuroeconomics, neurophilosophy, neuroscience, philosophy of economics, philosophy of mind, philosophy of social science, psychology, qualia, representationalism, situated cognition, social cognition, social connectionism, spontaneous order, the "hard" problem, the sensory order, varela | Permalink
Posted by manwithoutqualities

The Phenomenal Qualities Project

January 20, 2010

I want to bring your attention to The Phenomenal Qualities Project. With a Whose Who of theorists involved, it promises to offer a wonderful forum for ecumenical discussion:

Objectives:

There are four main objectives.

To investigate a set of fundamental questions concerning phenomenal qualities – such as the colours, sounds and so on, of which we are immediately aware in perceptual experience – and their place in the physical world. The research will focus upon issues connected with the role of phenomenal qualities in perceptual experiences, their relation to cognitive states of mind, their ontological status, and the way they fit in with the best current theories about the fundamental nature of physical things.

To encourage and co-ordinate research focused on the above questions by organising a series of seminars, workshops and an international conference on the nature of phenomenal qualities, and through publication of research material. An interactive website will be set up, facilitating the dissemination and discussion of research on the issues raised.

To stimulate dialogue between theorists of different philosophical persuasions, and with cognitive scientists working on perception and attention, on problems connected with the nature of experience and phenomenal qualities. This project will bring together philosophers and cognitive scientists of international standing from different traditions to advance our understanding of these problems.

To communicate to a wider non-academic audience, through public lectures and the internet, the nature and relevance of this project for existing work in Consciousness Studies, Cognitive Science and Physics.

Comments Off | Alva Noë, Andy Clark, Daniel Dennett, Embedded, Galen Strawson, Howard Robinson, Jesse Prinz, Michael Tye, Ned Bloch, Phenomenal Qualities Project, Shaun Gallagher, Tim Crane, active perception, artificial intelligence, brain science, cognition, cognitive science, consciousness, david chalmers, distributed cognition, embodiment, enactivism, intentionality, mind body, neurobiology, neuron, neurophilosophy, neuroscience, optical illusions, philosophy of mind, psychology, qualia, representationalism, situated cognition, social cognition, sociocognition, synesthesia, the "hard" problem | Permalink
Posted by manwithoutqualities

The Bionic Body

January 11, 2010

As is usual for the National Geographic, here is a super article beautifully illustrated on the latest developments in bionics. Check out the hard copy for more detailed case studies and real world applications.