Cognitive ability and the extended cognition thesis

This paper explores the ramifications of the extended cognition thesis in the philosophy of mind for contemporary epistemology. In particular, it argues that all theories of knowledge need to accommodate the ability intuition that knowledge involves cognitive ability, but that once this requirement is understood correctly there is no reason why one could not have a conception of cognitive ability that was consistent with the extended cognition thesis. There is thus, surprisingly, a straightforward way of developing our current thinking about knowledge such that it incorporates the extended cognition thesis. 0. INTRODUCTORY REMARKS One of the most interesting proposals in the recent literature in the philosophy of mind has been the suggestion that there is no in principle bar to cognitive processes extending beyond the skin of the agent. As one of the foremost exponents of this thesis has expressed the matter, "cognitive processes are not located exclusively inside the skin of cogn...

• Type: Journal
• Year: 2010
• Where: SYNTHESE
• Authors: Duncan Pritchard
• Keywords: Cognitive Ability, Cognitive Processes, Extended Cognition Thesis, SYNTHESE 2010