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Extended mind and after: socially extended mind and actor-network.
1Rikkyo University, Tokyo, Japan, tetsuyakono@rikkyo.ac.jp.
Integrative Psychological & Behavioral Science
|August 27, 2013
Summary
The extended mind thesis (EM) posits the mind extends beyond the brain. Actor-network theory (ANT) offers a more comprehensive framework for understanding social cognition and collective behavior.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Science
- Philosophy of Mind
- Social Cognition
Background:
- The extended mind thesis (EM) proposes that cognitive processes can extend beyond the brain to include the body and environment.
- Recent adaptations of EM theory explore social cognition, suggesting a socially extended mind (SEM).
- Existing EM/SEM theories face challenges in analyzing interactions involving opposition, conflict, and the agency of non-human elements.
Purpose of the Study:
- To critically evaluate the limitations of extended mind (EM) and socially extended mind (SEM) theories.
- To introduce Actor-Network Theory (ANT) as a more robust framework for analyzing extended cognition.
- To propose that EM/SEM can be understood as a specific instance within the broader ANT framework.
Main Methods:
- Conceptual analysis and comparison of extended mind (EM/SEM) theories with Actor-Network Theory (ANT).
- Examination of how ANT addresses limitations in EM/SEM regarding environmental interactions and non-human agency.
- Theoretical integration of EM/SEM concepts within the ANT paradigm.
Main Results:
- EM/SEM theories struggle with dynamic interactions, environmental passivity assumptions, and neglecting non-human actants.
- Actor-Network Theory (ANT) provides a more persuasive model by incorporating heterogeneous, animate, and inanimate elements in hybrid communities.
- ANT offers a superior framework for understanding the complex interplay within collective behavior.
Conclusions:
- Extended mind (EM/SEM) theories are best understood as a specialized case of Actor-Network Theory (ANT).
- ANT accounts for the dynamic and multifaceted nature of cognitive systems, including human-environment and human-non-human interactions.
- Future research in philosophy and psychology should adopt an ANT perspective to fully grasp collective behavior within situated actor-networks.
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