Mind Ecologies

Matthew Crippen, a philosopher of mind, and Jay Schulkin, a behavioral neuroscientist, offer an innovative interdisciplinary theory of mind. Synthesizing philosophy, neurobiology, psychology, and history of science, Mind Ecologies offers a broad and deep exploration of evidence for the embodied, embedded, enacted, and extended nature of mind.

Mind Ecologies is a valuable and comprehensive contribution that certainly strengthens and amplifies recent efforts to show that pragmatism is an extremely useful asset that can bring different perspectives to contemporary debates on affectivity, embodiment, and the ecological relation between agents and the environment.

Mind Ecologies offers a lively and informative history of Pragmatist thought, revealing how it both anticipated current work in philosophy and the sciences of the mind, and how it can be applied to great effect. Crippen and Schulkin make a convincing case that we are 'living ecologies' —integrated, interdependent systems—not detached, isolated intellects.

Mind Ecologies is wide-ranging and timely both as a contribution to today's philosophy of cognitive science and as a reminder of historical antecedents. This work will amplify and improve upon recent attempts to show that pragmatism and phenomenological philosophy are relevant to today’s sciences of the mind.

This accessibly written book was long due. We finally have a clear and detailed overview of how pragmatism anticipated many key ideas of the field of 4E cognition. One theme that stands out as particularly interesting and refreshing is the pragmatists' emphasis on the affective-evaluative and aesthetic dimension of perception and cognition.

Accessible for graduate and upper-level undergraduate students...Recommended.

Matthew Crippen is an associated researcher with the ARTIS–Group at the Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin. He is also a visiting professor at Grand Valley State University.

Jay Schulkin is a research professor in the Department of Neuroscience at Georgetown University. He is the author or coauthor of numerous books, including The Brain in Context: A Pragmatic Guide to Neuroscience (Columbia, 2019), with Jonathan D. Moreno.