The roots and blossoms of 4E cognition in Chile: Introduction to the Special Issue on 4E cognition in Chile

Summary

4E cognition—embodied, embedded, extended, and enactive—is a diverse research tradition with roots in Chile, home of biologists Francisco Varela and Humberto Maturana. This editorial introduction discusses Varela's enactive approach and its relationship to Maturana's autopoietic theory, showing how their historical and theoretical contexts shaped their views on cognition. It also introduces seven articles in the special issue that contribute new methodology, practical applications, theoretical extensions, and conceptual reflection to the field.

Study at a glance

Abstract

4E cognition (embodied, embedded, extended, and enactive) is a growing, open and pluralistic research tradition that offers new philosophical and scientific avenues to study the mind. Both its origins and current expansive movement are theoretically and geographically diverse. Chile, the mother country of the influential biologists Francisco Varela and Humberto Maturana, represents one of its roots, but also, as the variety of contributions in this special issue shows it, one of its fields of new blossoms. In this editorial introduction, regarding the roots, we focus on the enactive approach developed by Francisco Varela and its relationship with Maturana’s autopoietic theory. We discuss the way in which the particular theoretical and historical horizons of these two research programs conditioned, to a large extent, their philosophical stances regarding cognition. Regarding the new blossoms, we introduce the seven articles composing the present special issue and briefly comment on their contributions in terms of methodology, practical applications, theoretical extensions, and conceptual reflection.