Extended mind thesis

In <a href="/facts/Philosophy_of_mind/o6yNRjwd">philosophy of mind</a>, the extended mind thesis says that the <a href="/facts/Mind/Y5JhtFj4">mind</a> does not exclusively reside in the <a href="/facts/Brain/EKla9NkJ">brain</a> or even the <a href="/facts/Human_body/WP1QbDTn">body</a>, but extends into the <a href="/facts/Surroundings/Su2e0d8z">physical world</a>. The thesis proposes that some objects in the external environment can be part of a <a href="/facts/Cognitive_process/ga0tSBul">cognitive process</a> and in that way function as extensions of the mind itself. Examples of such objects are written calculations, a <a href="/facts/Diary/x24Y6VWt">diary</a>, or a <a href="/facts/Personal_computer/koaYfNce">PC</a>; in general, it concerns objects that store <a href="/facts/Information/3LdrzXtJ">information</a>. The hypothesis considers the mind to encompass every level of cognition, including the physical level.
It was proposed by <a href="/facts/Andy_Clark/5yjoPhxd">Andy Clark</a> and <a href="/facts/David_Chalmers/poKbqEWc">David Chalmers</a> in "The Extended Mind" (1998). They describe the idea as "active <a href="/facts/Externalism/TIvHed3C">externalism</a>, based on the active role of the environment in driving cognitive processes."
For the matter of <a href="/facts/Personal_identity/HRfyp7qh">personal identity</a> (and the <a href="/facts/Philosophy_of_self/2a9I7M3M">philosophy of self</a>), the EMT has the implication that some parts of a person's identity can be determined by their environment.

Extended mind thesis open-in-new

Extended mind thesis