Of interest to anyone wanting to explore the relationship between mind and body. This is an account of the new concept of embodied cognition. It reevaluates the association of intelligence solely with intellectual rather than physical accomplishments.
Intelligence in the flesh: why your mind needs your body much more than it thinks
Synopsis
Claxton examines the relationship between the body, the mind, and intelligence, and explores the new field of 'embodied cognition'. He supports a holistic view of how the body and brain are mutually supportive so that no part — especially the brain — can be seen as functionally separate from, or senior to, any other part. He argues against a misguided split between body and mind and offers an explanation for a unified understanding of intelligence that acknowledges the importance of the human body. The author examines the relationship between the body, the mind, and intelligence, and explores the new field of 'embodied cognition'. He supports a holistic view of how the body and brain are mutually supportive so that no part — especially the brain — can be seen as functionally separate from, or senior to, any other part. He argues against a misguided split between body and mind and offers an explanation for a unified understanding of intelligence that acknowledges the importance of the human body.
‘Embodied' intelligence encompasses the view that cognition is not purely the result of brain function. Instead, it is a mixture of the experience of having a body which senses and makes changes to the world, and which is in turn embedded within a broader "biological, psychological and cultural context."
Claxton argues that thinking is essentially visceral as well as cerebral. He suggests we stop identifying intelligence exclusively with abstract and rational thinking and count the body as intelligent too.