The brain as part of an enactive system

Shaun Gallagher, Daniel Hutto, Jan Slaby, Jonathan Cole

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

31 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The notion of an enactive system requires thinking about the brain in a way that is different from the standard computationalrepresentational models. In evolutionary terms, the brain does what it does and is the way that it is, across some scale of variations, because it is part of a living body with hands that can reach and grasp in certain limited ways, eyes structured to focus, an autonomic system, an upright
posture, etc. coping with specific kinds of environments, and with other people. Changes to any of the bodily, environmental, or intersubjective conditions elicit responses from the system as a whole. On this view, rather than representing or computing information, the brain is better conceived as participating in the action.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)421-422
Number of pages2
JournalBehavioral and Brain Sciences
Volume36
Issue number4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Aug 2013

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