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Language as a disruptive technology: abstract concepts, embodiment and the flexible mind
1Department of Philosophy, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA guy.dove@louisville.edu.
Summary
Language significantly enhances abstract conceptual understanding by grounding it in embodied experiences. This cognitive technology expands our conceptual reach through its symbolic properties and flexible integration with action, emotion, and perception.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Science
- Linguistics
- Philosophy of Mind
Background:
- Growing evidence supports embodied and grounded cognition.
- Abstract concepts pose a significant theoretical challenge to embodied theories.
- Language is proposed as a key factor in acquiring and using abstract concepts.
Purpose of the Study:
- To critically examine the role of language in abstract concept acquisition and use.
- To defend a version of the language-based account of abstract concepts.
- To propose a framework for how language augments cognition.
Main Methods:
- Critical examination of existing theories.
- Philosophical argumentation.
- Conceptual analysis.
Main Results:
- Language's symbolic properties are crucial for augmenting cognition.
- Embodiment must be understood flexibly, incorporating action, emotion, and perception.
- Language acts as a cognitive technology that expands conceptual reach.
Conclusions:
- Language is essential for developing and utilizing abstract concepts.
- A flexible, multimodal view of embodiment is necessary for understanding language's cognitive role.
- Language is an ontogenetically disruptive technology that enhances abstract conceptualization.
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