Bringing things to mind
The Oxford Handbook of 4E Cognition October 9, 2018 Peer reviewed DOI: 10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198735410.013.40
Summary
Human intelligence and its evolution are deeply tied to the material objects people create. Archaeology and anthropology suggest that human cognitive and social life is not simply embedded in a world of things but is genuinely mediated and often constituted by them. This chapter argues for adding a strong material culture dimension to research on 4E (embodied–embedded–extended–enactive) cognition. Material engagement theory is proposed as a framework to bridge the gap between 4E cognition and material culture studies. The concept of "thing-ing" highlights cognitive life instantiated in thinking and feeling with, through, and about things.
Study at a glance
| Design | theoretical or philosophical paper |
|---|---|
| Key finding | Material engagement theory can bridge the analytical gap between 4E cognition and the study of material culture, with the concept of "thing-ing" drawing attention to cognitive life instantiated in acts of thinking and feeling with, through, and about things. |
Abstract
Abstract Human intelligence and its evolution have always been inextricably linked with the material forms people make. Archaeology and anthropology may well testify that human beings are not merely embedded in a rich and changing universe of things; rather, human cognitive and social life is a process genuinely mediated and often constituted by them. The specific details, varieties, and forms of that process are not well understood and demand a cross-disciplinary approach. This chapter argues for the need to add a strong material culture dimension of research in the area of 4E (embodied–embedded–extended–enactive) cognition. Material engagement theory (MET) is proposed as a framework suitable for bridging the analytical gap between 4E cognition and the study of material culture. The notion of “thing-ing” is used to draw attention to the modes of cognitive life instantiated in acts of thinking and feeling with, through, and about things.