I sketch out the pyrological cosmology of the Zohar, focusing on the “spark of impenetrable darkness” (buẓina d’qardinuta) as the paradoxical origin of creation. Contrary to classical theological and philosophical understandings of fire as the union of light and heat, the Zohar situates the beginning of the cosmos in a dark, concealed spark emerging from the “head of infinity” (ein sof). The...
In this paper, we propose a crucial supplement to the framework of plant cognition, namely extending cognition. We argue that plants and other organisms with an open-ended body plan actively extend their cognition when growing tissues or organs. Their cognition expands with their body expansion. After considering the defining features of extending cognition, we present a model where growth,...