Contemporary debates in philosophy of science
Speaker: Adam Toon (Exeter)
Title: Science and the extended mind
Abstract: We typically think of cognition as something that happens inside the head. Recently, a number of philosophers of mind and cognitive science have argued that this is a mistake. In fact, according to the extended mind thesis, cognition and mind sometimes extend beyond brain and body into the world. This talk will consider the implications of the extended mind thesis for philosophy of science. I will argue that these implications are far-reaching. In particular, I will show that the notion of extended cognition has important consequences for our view of the nature of scientific concepts, scientific understanding, and debates between realists and empiricists concerning the role of instruments in the creation of scientific knowledge.
Contact
The seminars are organised by the philosophy of science research group. For more information or to find out about future events, please contact Dr Alistair Isaac.
Contemporary debates in philosophy of science
Room 2.13, Old Infirmary Building (Geography), 1 Drummond Street, Edinburgh, EH8 9XP