Representation hunger: Reformulating the “problem‐domain” of truly complex cognition
Mind & Language May 26, 2025 James D. Grayot 2 citations
The 4E-cognition movement (embodied, embedded, extended, enactive) increasingly questions whether internal representations are needed for complex thinking, particularly for cognition about absent or abstract objects—termed representation-hungry cognition (RHC). Critics reject the concept of RHC entirely. The author defends RHC while reformulating it to emphasize how external tools and cultural practices (enculturation) shape cognition. The argument concludes that critics must either accept that internal representations generate novel mental content or allow that such content can be internalized without depending on external representational vehicles.