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A talk by Adam Toon, organized in collaboration between the Center for Philosophy and the Sciences (CPS) and the Oslo Mind, Language and Epistemology Network (OMLET)What is the relationship between mental states and items of material culture, like notebooks, maps or lists? The extended mind thesis (ExM) offers an influential and controversial answer to this question. According to ExM, items of material culture can form part of the material basis for our mental states. Although ExM offers a radical view of the location of mental states, it fits comfortably with a traditional, representationalist account of the nature of those states. I argue that proponents of ExM would do better to adopt a fictionalist approach to mental states. In so doing, I suggest, they could retain the important insights underlying the extended mind thesis, while avoiding its more problematic consequences.
Adam Toon is an associate professor of philosophy and director of Egenis, the Centre for the Study of Life Sciences, at the University of Exeter. His work focuses on the philosophy of science and philosophy of mind, especially on topics related to these two fields. He is also interested in the sociology of scientific knowledge. His research draws on work in philosophy, cognitive science, history, and sociology of science.
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Georg Morgenstiernes hus, room 652, Duehaugveien 6A, 0851 Oslo, Norge,Oslo, Norway