The coupling-constitution fallacy revisited

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29 Scopus citations

Abstract

The hypothesis of extended cognition maintains that cognitive processes sometimes span the brain, body, and world. One of the most prominent types of arguments for this hypothesis begins with observations of the role of certain sorts of bodily and environmental influences on cognitive processes, then concludes that these bodily and environmental influences are themselves cognitive processes. This paper will argue that, while it is widely appreciated that the simplest versions of these " coupling arguments" are fallacious, the advocates of extended cognition still seem to underestimate how prevalent even the simplest forms are in the literature, why they are so pervasive, and how these fallacious arguments might be avoided by greater attention to a plausible theory of what distinguishes cognitive processes from non-cognitive processes.

Original languageAmerican English
Pages (from-to)332-342
Number of pages11
JournalCognitive Systems Research
Volume11
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 2010
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Experimental and Cognitive Psychology
  • Cognitive Neuroscience
  • Artificial Intelligence

Keywords

  • Coupling-constitution fallacy
  • Extended cognition
  • Mark of the cognitive

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