International Conference on Embodied Cognitive Science

Welcome

Dear colleagues,

The interdisciplinary field of cognitive science was officially inaugurated half a century ago, and since then it has considerably expanded its scope. What is the relationship between life and mind? What is the influence of behavior on the brain? How is human consciousness shaped by our interaction with the sociocultural environment, with language and technology?

It is time for a Copernican revolution in cognitive science: for too long has it been assumed that the brain is the stationary center of a person’s cognitive universe. The International Conference on Embodied Cognitive Science (ECogS) will bring together approaches that are theoretically and methodologically diverse yet united in their commitment to an alternative orientation, one in which embodied interaction plays the primary organizing role of life, mind, and consciousness.

The aim of this conference series is to facilitate the development of this new orientation in both conceptual and experimental terms.

ECogS 2020, March 23-26

The conference series will kick off with a thematic focus on the key term in its title: embodiment. We encourage participants to take stock of the many roles that embodiment - in its organismic, neural, social, and technological dimensions - plays in shaping the mind. All other topics related to embodied cognition are also welcome.

It will also be the occasion to celebrate the recent launch of the new Embodied Cognitive Science Unit, which will be the main organizer of this conference.

We look forward to welcoming you at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, which is especially suitable for hosting such an interdisciplinary event. We also hope that you will enjoy the enchanting atmosphere of Spring in Okinawa.

With best wishes,