Friday, May 15, 2015

macrocognition a theory of distributed minds and collective intentionality


ndpr.nd.edu |  The idea that groups have minds was popular in the late-19th and early-20th centuries. The group mind was posited as a force that influenced and dominated individual agency and provided an explanation for various types of human behavior. But such explanations were deemed mysterious, and, with the rise of behaviorism and operationalism, the idea fell out of favor. But interest in group mentality has experienced a rebirth over the past few decades. Within philosophy, Margaret Gilbert's work (e.g., 1989, 2004, 2013) has done a great deal to bring attention to the ways in which individuals might form a single unit of intentional agency, and Christian List and Philip Pettit's recent book Group Agency (2011) argues that there are genuine group mental states that cannot be reduced to the mental states of individuals within the group. Outside of philosophy, the study of distributed cognition is a growing area of research in cognitive science, and the hypothesis of group mind is gaining traction in economics, social psychology, organizational theory, and politics. Recent theories of group mentality, however, are thought to be just as mysterious as their 19th and early-20th century ancestors. Macrocognition goes a long way to demystifying the idea. It provides the most sustained and detailed defense of group minds available in the literature today.  Macrocognition

3 comments:

BigDonOne said...

"...genuine group mental states ...not... the mental states of individuals within the group."
...sounds like the 'Clean End' of a 7-11 FlashMobRobbery turd...??

Dale Asberry said...

As someone who plays with turds, you would know?

CNu said...

lol, am I going to have to put you in time out again? You know, that turrrible limbo in which I can see you creeping around here - spending more time here than I do - but unable to comment or otherwise express yourself?

You're on shaky ground with me to begin with, being that you're siphoning far more resources out of the system than you paid into it! Being on scholarship here as you are, you of all people should understand how unseemly it would be for me to have an unproductive leech acting out and not paying his way here at the spot? That said, because we IQ-180 types have the option of altruism and high-morality, I'ma toss you a bone, ummm-kay?

Go spend some time over here, https://hbdchick.wordpress.com/ with some one much closer to your own level and who shares your beliefs, but who has done the work of processing some of the information you believe in so fervently, yet have consistently shown yourself unable to credibly represent or articulate. Open yourself up to the HBDChick and let her take some of the hooded white sheets rough edges off your cogitations. Come back around when you have something civilized or at least useful to offer.

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