Enactive Cognition and the Other: Enactivism and Levinas Meet Halfway
The result's identifiers
Result code in IS VaVaI
<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F67985955%3A_____%2F20%3A00536900" target="_blank" >RIV/67985955:_____/20:00536900 - isvavai.cz</a>
Result on the web
<a href="https://doi.org/10.5195/jffp.2020.930" target="_blank" >https://doi.org/10.5195/jffp.2020.930</a>
DOI - Digital Object Identifier
<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.5195/jffp.2020.930" target="_blank" >10.5195/jffp.2020.930</a>
Alternative languages
Result language
angličtina
Original language name
Enactive Cognition and the Other: Enactivism and Levinas Meet Halfway
Original language description
This paper makes a comparison between enactivism and Levinas’ philosophy. Enactivism is a recent development in philosophy of mind and cognitive science that generally defines cognition in terms of a subject’s natural interactions with the physical environment. In recent years, enactivists have been focusing on social and ethical relations by introducing the concept of participatory sensemaking, according to which ethical know-how spontaneously emerges out of natural relations of participation and communication, that is, through the exchange of knowledge. This paper will argue first that, although participatory sensemaking is a valuable concept in that it offers a practical and realistic way of understanding ethics, it nevertheless downplays the significance of otherness for understanding ethics. I will argue that Levinas’ work demonstrates in turn that otherness is significant for ethics in that we cannot completely anticipate others through participation or know-how. We cannot live the other’s experiences or suffering, which makes ethical relation so difficult and serious (e.g. care for a terminally ill person always falls short to a certain extent). I will argue next that enactivism and Levinas’ philosophy nevertheless do not exclude each other insofar they share a similar concept of subjectivity as a quality of naturally interacting with the external world to gain knowledge (Levinas speaks of dwelling). Finally, I will argue that enactivism’s notion of participatory sensemaking also offers something which Levinas’ insufficiently defines, namely a concept of social justice, based on equality and participation, that emerges out of natural relations.
Czech name
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Czech description
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Classification
Type
J<sub>imp</sub> - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the Web of Science database
CEP classification
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OECD FORD branch
60301 - Philosophy, History and Philosophy of science and technology
Result continuities
Project
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Continuities
I - Institucionalni podpora na dlouhodoby koncepcni rozvoj vyzkumne organizace
Others
Publication year
2020
Confidentiality
S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů
Data specific for result type
Name of the periodical
Journal of French and Francophone Philosophy
ISSN
2155-1162
e-ISSN
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Volume of the periodical
28
Issue of the periodical within the volume
1
Country of publishing house
US - UNITED STATES
Number of pages
21
Pages from-to
100-120
UT code for WoS article
000541848500005
EID of the result in the Scopus database
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