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International Studies in Phenomenology and Philosophy

Journal | Volume | Article

143003

In defence of embodied cognition

a reply to Fred Adams

Christopher Letheby

pp. 403-414

Abstract

Fred Adams (Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences 9(4): 619–628, 2010) criticizes the theory of embodied cognition (EC) which holds that conceptual and linguistic thought is grounded in the brain's perceptual and sensorimotor systems. Among other things, Adams claims that: (1) EC is potentially committed to an implausible criterion of sentence meaningfulness; (2) EC lacks claimed advantages over rival accounts of conceptual thought; (3) relevant experimental data do not show constitutive, but only causal, involvement of perception in conception; and (4) EC cannot account for the comprehension of abstract concepts. I respond to Adams that: (1) EC is not committed to an implausible criterion of meaningfulness, though it may be committed to holding that comprehension admits of degrees; (2) EC does have its claimed advantages over rival views; (3) the data do make a strong case for constitutive involvement and (4) a broad and comprehensive EC approach probably can account for the comprehension of abstract concepts.

Publication details

Published in:

(2012) Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences 11 (3).

Pages: 403-414

DOI: 10.1007/s11097-012-9263-1

Full citation:

Letheby Christopher (2012) „In defence of embodied cognition: a reply to Fred Adams“. Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences 11 (3), 403–414.