A new edition of a classic work that originated the "embodied
cognition" movement and was one of the first to link science and
Buddhist practices.
This classic book, first published in 1991, was one of the first to
propose the "embodied cognition" approach in cognitive science. It
pioneered the connections between phenomenology and science and between
Buddhist practices and science--claims that have since become highly
influential. Through this cross-fertilization of disparate fields of
study, The Embodied Mind introduced a new form of cognitive science
called "enaction," in which both the environment and first person
experience are aspects of embodiment. However, enactive embodiment is
not the grasping of an independent, outside world by a brain, a mind, or
a self; rather it is the bringing forth of an interdependent world in
and through embodied action. Although enacted cognition lacks an
absolute foundation, the book shows how that does not lead to either
experiential or philosophical nihilism. Above all, the book's arguments
were powered by the conviction that the sciences of mind must encompass
lived human experience and the possibilities for transformation inherent
in human experience.
This revised edition includes substantive introductions by Evan Thompson
and Eleanor Rosch that clarify central arguments of the work and discuss
and evaluate subsequent research that has expanded on the themes of the
book, including the renewed theoretical and practical interest in
Buddhism and mindfulness. A preface by Jon Kabat-Zinn, the originator of
the mindfulness-based stress reduction program, contextualizes the book
and describes its influence on his life and work.
