extended mind Flashcards
what is the main claim of the Extended Mind Thesis?
cognition includes parts of the environment outside of the brain
external processes are essential
Requirements: • Parity Principle Process „cognitive“ if function identical with cognitive brain processses • Persistently, reliably available
The Parity Principle: If a set of states counts as cognitive while in the brain, a functionally identical set of states should count as cognitive even when outside the brain.
What is the relation between the Extended Mind Thesis and functionalism?
functionalism has input (stimuli), output (response) and other mental states
functionalism: claims that non-brain states can count as mental states if they play the same functional role as brain states
Functionalism and Extended Mind are closely connected and complementary. Some people think that
strong types of functionalism entail the Extended Mind Thesis / the extented mind follows from radical functionalism
what does extended mean ?
extended: cognition is often driven by the environment or offloaded onto the environment, in a way that yields a genuine extension of the cognitive system
