Using the Body to Think: An Analysis of the Cognitive Mechanisms Underlying Thinking at the Edge and Tibetan Monastic Debate

Abstract

Thinking at the Edge is a philosophical method for systematically deepening thinking and exploring concepts from many different angles. The cognitive mechanisms through which Thinking at the Edge works are less clear. To explore these, this article will place Thinking at the Edge alongside another method that uses the body to think critically: Tibetan monastic debate. Tibetan monastic debate is a systematic way to explore topics focused on uncovering contradictions, and it does so in a way that uses the body as a method of expression and possibly also thinking. The neural and cognitive mechanisms underlying Tibetan monastic debate have recently begun to be elucidated. This article will start to analyze Thinking at the Edge, another embodied method, in a similar way. To do so, we will first describe each of these practices individually, and then describe their similarities and differences in terms of associated cognitive and affective mechanisms, including memory, attention, empathy, and reasoning. We will give suggestions for a concrete research agenda that can verify the hypothesized cognitive mechanisms, and thereby clarify how both of these practices shape thinking.