Last update:
9 February 2010
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The Shared MindPerspectives on intersubjectivity
2008. xiii, 391 pp.
Publishing status: Available
Hardbound
– In stock
978 90 272 3900 6 / EUR 99.00 / USD 149.00
e-Book
– Available from e-book platforms
The cognitive and language sciences are increasingly oriented towards the social dimension of human cognition and communication. The hitherto dominant approach in modern cognitive science has viewed “social cognition” through the prism of the traditional philosophical puzzle of how individuals solve the problem of understanding Other Minds. The Shared Mind challenges the conventional “theory of mind” approach, proposing that the human mind is fundamentally based on intersubjectivity: the sharing of affective, conative, intentional and cognitive states and processes between a plurality of subjects. The socially shared, intersubjective foundation of the human mind is manifest in the structure of early interaction and communication, imitation, gestural communication and the normative and argumentative nature of language. In this path breaking volume, leading researchers from psychology, linguistics, philosophy and primatology offer complementary perspectives on the role of intersubjectivity in the context of human development, comparative cognition and evolution, and language and linguistic theory.
Table of contents
“This book addresses critical issues that arise as current conceptions of mind expand beyond internalist boundaries. Distinguished scholars in developmental psychology, linguistics and philosophy draw on the intellectual heritage of Husserl, Vygotsky, and Wittgenstein in exploring questions such as the nature of intersubjectivity, the biological and cultural bases of intersubjective thinking and acting and the role of language in mind sharing. They forge new ideas of how these beginnings eventuate in mature human intelligence and the fully social and cultural mentality of modern people.”
Katherine Nelson, City University of New York, Author of Language in Cognitive Development: The Emergence of the Mediated Mind
“The Shared Mind is a most welcome contribution to the interdisciplinary debates about social cognition. For a long time, these debates were framed by the Theory-of-Mind paradigm and the binary opposition between “theory-theory” and “simulation theory”. In this book leading experts within fields as diverse as neuroscience, developmental psychology, linguistics, primatology, and philosophy, make significant additions to the evidence mounting against the Theory-of-Mind paradigm. The book will be of interest to anyone seeking a deeper understanding of the foundations of human social life.”
“[...] this book is notable for compiling a multifaceted critique of Theory of Mind approaches while simultaneously advocating an alternative direction in the study of social cognition.”
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Consciousness Research