Shedding Light on the Extended Mind: HoloLens, Holograms, and Internet-Extended Knowledge
Frontiers in Psychology October 21, 2021 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.675184 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Keywords | Active externalism Extended mind Extended knowledge Internet Mixed reality Hololens |
| Key points | Argues that the HoloArt app exemplifies Internet-extended knowledge, combining mixed reality, cloud computing, and machine intelligence, and that its features challenge the universality of criteria used to evaluate cognitive extension, thereby refining understanding of extended knowledge and the extended mind. |
Abstract
The application of extended mind theory to the Internet and Web yields the possibility of Internet-extended knowledge—a form of extended knowledge that arises as a result of an individual's interactions with the online environment. The present paper seeks to advance our understanding of Internet-extended knowledge by describing the functionality of a real-world application, called the HoloArt app. In part, the goal of the paper is illustrative: it is intended to show how recent advances in mixed reality, cloud-computing, and machine intelligence might be combined so as to yield a putative case of Internet-extended knowledge. Beyond this, however, the paper is intended to support the philosophical effort to understand the notions of extended knowledge and the extended mind. In particular, the HoloArt app raises questions about the universality of some of the criteria that have been used to evaluate putative cases of cognitive extension. The upshot is a better appreciation of the way in which claims about extended knowledge and the extended mind might be affected by a consideration of technologically-advanced resources.