The enactive elements of style
Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences March 3, 2026 Peer reviewed DOI: 10.1007/s11097-026-10142-6 via Springer Nature
Summary
The concept of style, as used by Alva Noë to describe how we access the world and form our selves, is examined through an enactive lens. Style is understood not merely as individual expression but as relational, communal processes of form-taking that develop, entwine, and differentiate historically. This social constitution of style clarifies rather than conflicts with its common use to describe the cohesive activity of individuals, objects, or places.
Study at a glance
| Design | theoretical or philosophical paper |
|---|---|
| Key finding | Style is best understood as a relational, historically developing communal process of form-taking, which clarifies rather than contradicts its use to describe individual or object cohesion. |
Abstract
I reflect on Alva Noë’s appeal to the concept of style to describe how we access the world and how we become our own selves. Noë’s recent work has addressed the topic of style directly, but the strands of his perspective are woven throughout his Action in Perception book, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary with this special issue. Style is an expansive, flexible concept. It can be examined in enactive terms—indeed, it invites such examination. This leads to a relational understanding of style as communal processes of form-taking that develop, entwine, and differentiate historically. The social constitution of style does not conflict with the common use of the term to describe the cohesive activity of particular individuals, objects, or places. Rather, it clarifies it.