Representation hunger: Reformulating the “problem‐domain” of truly complex cognition
Mind & Language May 26, 2025 Peer reviewed DOI: 10.1111/mila.12553 via Semantic Scholar
Summary
The rapid growth of 4E-cognition has led to increased skepticism about the role of internal representations in understanding complex cognitive tasks. Critics challenge the idea of representation-hungry cognition (RHC), rejecting the notion that thinking about absent or abstract objects requires internal representations. Despite criticisms, the author argues that RHC remains relevant to understanding what makes cognition truly complex.
Study at a glance
| Design | theoretical or philosophical paper |
|---|---|
| Key finding | Representation-hungry cognition remains relevant to understanding complex cognition, and critics must either accept internal representations in producing novel content or allow content to be internalized independently of external representational vehicles. |
Abstract
The rapid growth of 4E‐cognition has led to increased skepticism about the role of internal representations in understanding complex cognitive tasks. Critics challenge the idea of representation‐hungry cognition (RHC), rejecting the notion that thinking about absent or abstract objects requires internal representations. Despite criticisms, I argue that RHC remains relevant to understanding what makes cognition truly complex. My goal is to defend RHC while reformulating it to highlight how external vehicles shape cognition through processes of enculturation. I conclude that critics must either accept internal representations in the production of novel content or allow that content be internalized independently of external representational vehicles.