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Cognitive Symbionts. Expanding the Scope of Cognitive Science With Fungi

Matteo Colombo1

  • 1Department of Philosophy, Tilburg University.

Topics in Cognitive Science
|September 9, 2025
PubMed

Insights

Fungi exhibit complex behaviors, prompting new research in cognitive science. Exploring fungal life reveals the concept of cognitive symbiosis, crucial for understanding minds in biological and evolutionary contexts.

Area of Science:

  • * Cognitive Science
  • * Mycology
  • * Evolutionary Biology

Background:

  • * Debates on fungal cognition and consciousness risk semantic disputes.
  • * Fungal life possesses key properties relevant to cognitive science.
  • * Symbiotic relationships are central to fungal existence.

Purpose of the Study:

  • * To explore productive research directions in cognitive science inspired by fungal life.
  • * To introduce the concept of cognitive symbiosis.
  • * To highlight the importance of biology and evolution in understanding minds.

Main Methods:

  • * Conceptual analysis of fungal life properties.
  • * Examination of symbioses in fungal biology.
  • * Theoretical expansion of cognitive science scope.

Main Results:

  • * Fungal life offers uncontroversially productive insights for cognitive science.
  • * The concept of cognitive symbiosis is introduced.
  • * Cognitive systems, like fungi, often exist in close association with others, impacting psychological outcomes.

Conclusions:

  • * Studying cognitive symbiosis in fungi can inspire novel research in cognitive science.
  • * The centrality of symbioses in fungal life underscores the significance of biological and evolutionary perspectives.
  • * Expanding cognitive science to include diverse cognitive symbioses is vital for a comprehensive understanding of minds.
Keywords:
Cognitive symbiosisFungal computingFungal symbiosesMushroom foragingMycobiome

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