Alergic - The Extended Mind and Consciousness - Victor Loughlin - 3rd Nov 2...

Abstract: Where does my mind stop and the rest of the world begin? Can my conscious experience involve the environment around me? Exponents of the Extended Mind Thesis (EMT) argue that the mind can extend outside the body. One such exponent of EMT is Andy Clark. Clark argues that the machinery responsible for cognition can include objects in the environment but the machinery responsible for consciousness must, as a matter of empirical fact, remain brain bound. I will argue that Clark is correct to think that cognition can extend but wrong to deny extension for consciousness. By looking at two examples of EMT, I intend to show that one of these examples supports claims for consciousness extension. I will then examine some of Clark's objections to consciousness extension and argue that these objections are not persuasive. I conclude that, in the example outlined, the machinery responsible for cognition and for conscious experience can extend outside the body.