Examining the Continuity between Life and Mind: Is There a Continuity between Autopoietic Intentionality and Representationality?
A weak version of the life-mind continuity thesis entails that every living system also has a basic mind (with a non-representational form of intentionality). The strong version entails that the same concepts that are sufficient to explain basic minds (with non-representational states) are also cent...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2021-02-01
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| Series: | Philosophies |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2409-9287/6/1/18 |
| _version_ | 1797395745220853760 |
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| author | Wanja Wiese Karl J. Friston |
| author_facet | Wanja Wiese Karl J. Friston |
| author_sort | Wanja Wiese |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | A weak version of the life-mind continuity thesis entails that every living system also has a basic mind (with a non-representational form of intentionality). The strong version entails that the same concepts that are sufficient to explain basic minds (with non-representational states) are also central to understanding non-basic minds (with representational states). We argue that recent work on the free energy principle supports the following claims with respect to the life-mind continuity thesis: (i) there is a strong continuity between life and mind; (ii) all living systems can be described as if they had representational states; (iii) the ’as-if representationality’ entailed by the free energy principle is central to understanding both basic forms of intentionality and intentionality in non-basic minds. In addition to this, we argue that the free energy principle also renders realism about computation and representation compatible with a strong life-mind continuity thesis (although the free energy principle does not entail computational and representational realism). In particular, we show how representationality proper can be grounded in ’as-if representationality’. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T00:40:05Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-ea3545a89aa04f6aaedb5bee67db8454 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2409-9287 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T00:40:05Z |
| publishDate | 2021-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Philosophies |
| spelling | doaj.art-ea3545a89aa04f6aaedb5bee67db84542023-12-11T17:54:41ZengMDPI AGPhilosophies2409-92872021-02-01611810.3390/philosophies6010018Examining the Continuity between Life and Mind: Is There a Continuity between Autopoietic Intentionality and Representationality?Wanja Wiese0Karl J. Friston1Department of Philosophy, Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, Jakob-Welder-Weg 18, 55128 Mainz, GermanyWellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London WC1N 3AR, UKA weak version of the life-mind continuity thesis entails that every living system also has a basic mind (with a non-representational form of intentionality). The strong version entails that the same concepts that are sufficient to explain basic minds (with non-representational states) are also central to understanding non-basic minds (with representational states). We argue that recent work on the free energy principle supports the following claims with respect to the life-mind continuity thesis: (i) there is a strong continuity between life and mind; (ii) all living systems can be described as if they had representational states; (iii) the ’as-if representationality’ entailed by the free energy principle is central to understanding both basic forms of intentionality and intentionality in non-basic minds. In addition to this, we argue that the free energy principle also renders realism about computation and representation compatible with a strong life-mind continuity thesis (although the free energy principle does not entail computational and representational realism). In particular, we show how representationality proper can be grounded in ’as-if representationality’.https://www.mdpi.com/2409-9287/6/1/18active inferenceautopoiesisfree energy principleintentionalitylife-mind continuitypredictive processing |
| spellingShingle | Wanja Wiese Karl J. Friston Examining the Continuity between Life and Mind: Is There a Continuity between Autopoietic Intentionality and Representationality? Philosophies active inference autopoiesis free energy principle intentionality life-mind continuity predictive processing |
| title | Examining the Continuity between Life and Mind: Is There a Continuity between Autopoietic Intentionality and Representationality? |
| title_full | Examining the Continuity between Life and Mind: Is There a Continuity between Autopoietic Intentionality and Representationality? |
| title_fullStr | Examining the Continuity between Life and Mind: Is There a Continuity between Autopoietic Intentionality and Representationality? |
| title_full_unstemmed | Examining the Continuity between Life and Mind: Is There a Continuity between Autopoietic Intentionality and Representationality? |
| title_short | Examining the Continuity between Life and Mind: Is There a Continuity between Autopoietic Intentionality and Representationality? |
| title_sort | examining the continuity between life and mind is there a continuity between autopoietic intentionality and representationality |
| topic | active inference autopoiesis free energy principle intentionality life-mind continuity predictive processing |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2409-9287/6/1/18 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT wanjawiese examiningthecontinuitybetweenlifeandmindisthereacontinuitybetweenautopoieticintentionalityandrepresentationality AT karljfriston examiningthecontinuitybetweenlifeandmindisthereacontinuitybetweenautopoieticintentionalityandrepresentationality |