Phenomenology and Embodied Cognition (BSP 123)
/Many researchers working in Embodied Cognitive Science (ECS) are unaware that the philosophical approach known as Phenomenology has made important contributions to their field. In their new book Phenomenology: An Introduction philosophers Stephan Käufer and Anthony Chemero make a convincing case, not just for the historical importance of phenomenology, but more importantly, for its ongoing contributions to cognitive science.
In BSP 123 I talk with Anthony Chemero about phenomenology and its contributions to embodied cognitive science. We start with a brief discussion of what it is and we discuss a few important historical figures, including Maurice Merleau-Ponty and James Gibson. Then we consider how these ideas are important to contemporary psychology and cognitive science. I have included a list of related episodes below, but no previous knowledge is needed to enjoy this conversation.
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References
Phenomenology: an Introduction by Stephan Käufer and Anthony Chemero
Radical Embodied Cognitive Science by Anthony Chemero
Embodied Cognition by Lawrence Shapiro (BSP 73)
Mind in Life: Biology, Phenomenology, and the Sciences of Mind by Evan Thompson (BSP 89)
Louder Than Words: The New Science of How the Mind Makes Meaning by Benjamin K. Bergen (BSP 94)
For more references please check out the free episode transcript.
Brain Science episodes
BSP 25: Rolf Pfeifer discussed embodied intelligence in robotics
BSP 36: Psychologist Art Glenberg introduced us to Gibson's affordances
BSP 58: Philosopher Alva Noë discussed Out of Our Heads: Why You Are Not Your Brain, and Other Lessons from the Biology of Consciousness.
BSP 73: Embodied Cognition with Lawrence Shapiro
BSP 89: Evan Thompson talked about Phenomenology and how it inspires the Enactive approach to embodied cognition
BSP 94: (FREE) Benjamin Bergen (Louder than Words) discussed how embodied approaches are influencing contemporary psychology.
Announcements
This episode was also be released as Books and Ideas #59. The content is the same.
We will continue our discussion of embodied cognition in the next episode of Brain Science, which will be an interview with Dr. Michael Anderson, author of After Phrenology: Neural Reuse and the Interactive Brain.
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