Tom Ziemke

University of Skövde

"The Embodied Mind: Sum, Ergo Cogito?"

About the talk

For a long time, most research in the cognitive sciences was united by the idea that cognition is computation, i.e. some kind of information processing that is relatively independent of its physical instantiation. In recent decades, however, this has been increasingly challenged by theories of embodied cognition, i.e. the view that the body in fact plays some fundamental role(s) in cognitive processes. This view is now becoming so popular that a recent book review claims: "Embodied cognition is sweeping the planet". However, while there is growing consensus that cognition is embodied in some sense, there is much less agreement on what this actually means, how exactly this relates to the traditional view of cognition as computation as well as other recent theories that view cognition as situated, embedded, extended and/or distributed. This lecture aims to review some of the empirical evidence, to identify the most relevant theoretical positions, and to discuss the implications for cognitive science as an interdiscipline.

About the speaker

Tom Ziemke is Professor of Cognitive Science at the University of Skövde, Sweden. He holds a German diploma degree in business informatics, a Swedish masters degree in computer science, and a PhD from the University of Sheffield, UK. His main research interest lies in theories and models of embodied cognition, i.e., the role the body plays in cognitive and emotional processes, in social interactions, and in people's interactions with different types of technology.

Poster Session

Afterwards there will be a reception combined with a poster session, Kleiner Festsaal of the University of Vienna, presenting all projects and activities at the Cognitive Science Research Platform.