Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Identifier

6095

Date

2017

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Major

Philosophy

Concentration

Cognitive Science

Committee Chair

Shaun Gallagher

Committee Member

Somogy Varga

Committee Member

Timothy Roche

Committee Member

Albert Newen

Abstract

Radically embodied cognitive science (REC) is typically concerned with basic cognition such as perception and action. However, complex cognition or higher-order cognition is difficult to explain for REC, as these theories eschew traditional representational explanations. This leaves REC with a scaling-up problem. In this dissertation I will explore options for REC to fix its scaling-up problem. I am specifically interested in autonoetic cognition, which is the ability to remember and imagine objects and events in the way they would be experienced if they were immediately present to be perceived. I contend that a simulationist account provides many of th necessary conceptual tools for understanding autonoetic cognition from a REC perspective. Furthermore, simulationist accounts are generally useful, as they are suggestive of a way to understand the observed neural activity and can be used to make empirical predictions. I will examine different simulationist theories in order to determine whether or not they can cohere with REC and help solve the scaling-up problem. Eventually I will argue that the REC commitment to reject representations makes the scaling-up problem insurmountable at this time.

Comments

Data is provided by the student.

Library Comment

Dissertation or thesis originally submitted to the local University of Memphis Electronic Theses & dissertation (ETD) Repository.

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