The Body in Mind
Ryan McVeigh
September 15, 2023 DOI: 10.4324/9781003345930-6 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
|---|---|
| Key points | Argues that George Herbert Mead characterized the body as constitutive of cognition, controlling the development and operation of cognitive processes, as shown in the organism–environment dyad, perception, and the manipulatory stage of the act. Contends that present-day research on autopoiesis, enactivism, and the hand aligns with Mead's views, foregrounding his identity as an early proponent of embodied cognition. |
Abstract
This chapter demonstrates how the emergence of mind depends on human physiology in the work of George Herbert Mead. It opens by briefly reviewing his scholarship and role as a founding figure in sociology. It outlines recent efforts in cognitive science that draw on Mead’s understanding of mind as social. Although his assessment of cognition is gaining favour and attention, few note the role of the body in his sociological system. This chapter argues Mead characterizes the body as constitutive of cognition, which sees it as controlling the development and operation of cognitive processes. This is revealed through three thematic domains: the organism–environment dyad, perception, and the manipulatory stage of the act. Present-day research on autopoiesis, enactivism, and the hand aligns with Mead’s views and foregrounds his identity as an early proponent of embodied cognition.