From Embodiment To Cognitive Extension

With the first generation of cognitive science (cognitivism) which is influenced by the Cartesian and centering on the symbolic Computationalism and the connectionism receiving many criticisms, artificial intelligence also facing bottlenecks, the second generation of Cognitive Science (after cognitivism or embodied cognitive science) grows up, the main representatives are George·Lakoff, Thelen, Varela, Andy Clark, they think that cognition is not the computation based on representation only, and put forward some solutions. In general, there are embodied cognition, embeded cognition, enactive cognition and extended cognition and so on, which are called 4E movement about mind and cognition. In these solutions, the philosophers who have been inspired by the research of phenomenology and the results of artificial intelligence, make a new thinking on the relationship between body, brain and the world, and try to find some ways to solve problems of mental and cognitive development.In these discussions, embodied cognition points out that the mind depends on the physical structure and the activities of the body and its interaction with the environment. Most of people have accepted these views that are confirmed in empirical field, especially in the field of Psychology, so embodied cognition has become the backbone in these discussions. As a pioneer in the embodied cognitive science, Clark puts forward "embodiment","cognitive extension" and so on. These two topics are closely linked. "Embodiment" mainly discusses the important role of body in the cognition and the dynamic coupling System made up by body, brain and the world. They influence and interact with each other. Most of people accept this view, while "Cognitive extension" has been widely criticized and questioned. Clark points out that "cognition" and "mind" should extend to the environment, which is different from the negative externalism of Putnam, so his own theory is called "positive externalism". This has important significance to study Clark’s embodied cognitive theory. According to Clark’s book—Supervising the Mind, the first chapter talks of from body to cognitive extension, this paper is divided into three parts:The first part starts from the theoretical defects of the first generation cognitive science, and then draw the theoretical background and the meaning of Clark’s embodied cognitive thought, finally, we can know the origin of "body" and "Cognitive extension";The second part discusses Clark’s embodied cognitive thought which is divided into two stages, the first is the general embodied cognitive stage— "embodiment" ;the second is the development of embodied cognitive stage— "cognitive extension", which tries to present Clark’s embodied cognitive theory;The third part reveals the theoretical and practical meaning, the epistemological and methodological significance of Clark’s embodied cognitive theory under the analysis of its Advantages and shortages.