Enactive Cognition and the Other: Enactivism and Levinas Meet Halfway
Journal of French and Francophone Philosophy June 15, 2020 Geoffrey Dierckxsens 10 citations
Enactivism defines cognition through a subject's natural interactions with the physical environment and, recently, through participatory sensemaking, where ethical know-how emerges from participation and communication. This paper argues that participatory sensemaking, while valuable, downplays the significance of otherness for ethics, as Levinas' work shows that we cannot fully anticipate others through participation or know-how; caring for a terminally ill person always falls short. However, enactivism and Levinas' philosophy share a concept of subjectivity as interacting with the external world to gain knowledge. Enactivism's participatory sensemaking also offers a concept of social justice based on equality and participation, which Levinas insufficiently defines.