Embodied Cognition

Abstract Embodied cognition, a new paradigm in cognitive science, proposes that human cognition is shaped by the particularities of human embodiment. It emerges as a reaction to ‘cognitivism’, which understands the mind as akin to a computer which uses algorithms to processes abstract symbols. In contrast to cognitivism, its alternative understanding of cognition finds expression in three distinct hypotheses. First, the conceptualisation hypothesis argues that concepts are not abstract symbols but are grounded in sensorimotor states. Second, the replacement hypothesis suggests that cognitive processes rely on sensorimotor engagement with the surrounding environment rather than on internal mental representations. Third, the constitution hypothesis posits that the physical media on which cognition is instantiated is not restricted to the brain but extends to bodily states and environmental resources. Having described the distinctive claims of embodied cognition, evidence and arguments in favour of its picture are surveyed, as well as their current limitations.