Minds without Bodies
July 9, 2026 DOI: 10.1201/9781003783077-3 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
|---|---|
| Keywords | Embodied cognition Construct python library Perception Consciousness Illusion Scale ratio Subjectivity Synesthesia Cognitive science Epistemology Aesthetics Cognitive psychology Qualia Object grammar Frame networking |
| Key points | Argues that disembodied AI remains calculative rather than conscious, and that consciousness emerges from the integration of perception, action, and purpose, not from scale or logic alone. |
Abstract
Chapter 1 dismantles the long-standing illusion that intelligence can exist independently of embodiment. It argues that disembodied AI—however fluent or powerful—remains calculative rather than conscious. Drawing on predictive neuroscience and embodied cognition, the chapter reframes perception as expectation, showing how both brains and machines construct reality through continuous prediction and correction. True awareness emerges not from scale or logic alone, but from integration: the coherent alignment of perception, action, and purpose. As AI systems acquire bodies, senses, and feedback, consequence enters the loop—and with it, the first traces of moral responsibility. Consciousness begins where intelligence can feel its impact.