The EC literature contains two apparently different claims.
Human cognitive systems extend into the body and
environment.
Human cognitive processes extend into the body and
environment.
identifying process does not pervade the whole of the system, e.g. a computing
system. The CPU computes, but does the
fan?
Maybe it is not so surprising to say that the cognitive system that I am extends into my toes, but it is surprising to claim that my cognitive processing extends into my toes.
What is the definition of the terms ‘system’ and ‘process’?
I would say that the extended cognition literature has not much cared about this distinction, hence has not much cared about explicating it. So, I would say we are left to our own devices in interpreting what the advocates of extended cognition mean by “processes.” By contrast, there appear to be three more or less distinguishable ideas of what is meant by a “system.” A coupled dynamical system, Haugeland’s (1998) theory, and Clarks’ (forthcoming) theory. Below are passages that seem to me to hint at the diversity of ideas.
The cognitive system does not interact with the body and the
external world by means of the occasional static symbolic inputs and outputs;
rather, interaction between the inner and the outer is best thought of as a
matter of coupling, such that both sets of processes continually influencing
[sic] each other’s direction of change (van Gelder, 1995, p. 373).
“since the nervous system, body, and environment are all
constantly changing and simultaneously influencing each other, the true
cognitive system is a single unified system embracing all three” (van Gelder,
1995, 373).
and self-contained portion of a system in the sense that it relevantly
interacts with other components only through interfaces between them (and
contains no internal interfaces at the same level). An interface
is a point of interactive “contact” between components such that the relevant interactions
are well-defined, reliable, and relatively simple. A system
is a relatively independent and self-contained composite of components
interacting at interfaces (Haugeland, 1998, p. 213.)
1. The resource must be reliably available and typically
invoked.
2. Any information retrieved from the resource must be
more-or-less automatically endorsed. It should not usually be subject to
critical scrutiny (unlike the opinions of other people, for example).
3. Information provided by the resource should be easilyClark ,
accessible as and when required. (Cf.,
forthcoming, pp. xxx.)