The Brains Blog — Since 2005, a leading forum for work in the philosophy and science of mind

4. Common Knowledge and Experience in Social Space

Axel Seemann June 13, 2019 June 14, 2019 Axel Seemann: The Shared World

We act in an environment in which much is in public view, and you might very well think that perceptual facts that cannot be known in common cannot be known at all. For any account that aims to explain the public character of our perceptual surroundings, the notion of common …

3. Demonstration and Communication

Axel Seemann June 12, 2019 June 13, 2019 Axel Seemann: The Shared World

“One cannot not communicate”: this slightly unsettling axiom of Watzlawick’s (1967) is necessarily true of creatures operating in social space. The social spatial framework is not simply given to but achieved by us through activities in which demonstrative gestures play a vital role. We point, nudge, and direct others’ gaze towards …

2. Acting in Social Space

Axel Seemann June 11, 2019 June 11, 2019 Axel Seemann: The Shared World

Consider the spatial arrangement that has to be in place if a creature is to act in its environment. One requirement is that the creature operate with an egocentric spatial framework – that it be able to determine the location of objects relative to its own position in space (Evans 1982). …

1. Living in the Shared World

Axel Seemann June 10, 2019 June 11, 2019 Axel Seemann: The Shared World

Many thanks to John Schwenkler for giving me the opportunity to write about The Shared World (MIT Press 2019). A question that has long fascinated me is how perceivers and agents can be operating in an environment that is public or, as I also say, shared; a world in which …

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John Schwenkler June 10, 2019 June 16, 2019 books

We are pleased to have Axel Seeman blogging this week on The Shared World: Perceptual Common Knowledge, Demonstrative Communication, and Social Space, recently published by The MIT Press. To view all his posts on a single page, please click here.

Dan Weiskopf on MVPA for Decoding the Mind

Nick Byrd June 10, 2019 June 7, 2019 Neural Mechanisms Online / NM Webinar

Dan Weiskopf discusses the use of MVPA in neuroscience for understanding the mind on Friday June 14. In this post you can find out how to join the webinar for free.

Abel WajNerman Paz on The Global Neuronal Workspace

Nick Byrd May 30, 2019 May 30, 2019 Consciousness / Neural Mechanisms Online / NM Webinar

The Brains blog is excited about the next Neural Mechanisms webinar this Friday. It is free. You can find information about how and when to join the webinar below or at the Neural Mechanisms website—where you can also join their mailing list to be notified of their webinars, webconferences, and more!