Core Enaction: Semester 3

“What makes science open and creative is the reinterpretation of the ‘original’ problems and approaches. As some of the best scientists have pointed out, the re-evaluation of the past of science is the best introduction to its future. (…) Only by considering the earliest roots and revisiting the problem spaces can we reach a fresh perspective on theoretical and conceptual tools.” – (Francisco J. Varela)

Conceived as a four-part e-learning curriculum (much like a MOOC), the Core Enaction Programme will unfold over the course of four semesters (2022-2024): In Semester 1 (Autumn 2022), we retraced the origin story and major building blocks of the enactive view across cognitive science, philosophy, Buddhist thought, and more. In Semesters 2 and 3 (Spring and Autumn 2023), we are undertaking a close reading of The Embodied Mind (F. Varela, E. Thompson, E. Rosch), the foundational text in which the enactive framework was elaborated from a cross-disciplinary perspective. Finally, in Semester 4 (Spring 2024), we will consider possible future applications of this robust theoretical framework, across a variety of disciplines. Although guided by current experts in the field, each session is designed to be highly participative, allowing for ample discussion and exchange at each stage of the series.

With the launch of this new curriculum, it is our heartfelt aspiration that a new generation of students and researchers will be able to access the rich lineage of enactive thought and bring it forward into their work, across an ever-widening variety of disciplines. Please be encouraged to share this announcement widely within your university networks—it will really help us get the word out!

Semester 3 (Autumn 2023): The Embodied Mind

Following on the first semester, during which five prominent scholars and scientists unpacked the core concepts in the genealogy of the alternative view of mind known as enaction, we are delighted to announce the launch of the second semester of our four-part online learning curriculum, Core Enaction.

The spring and autumn semesters in 2023 will be dedicated to a close, chapter-by-chapter reading of The Embodied Mind (F. Varela, E. Thompson, E. Rosch), the foundational text in which the enactive approach was elaborated from a cross-disciplinary perspective. For those that are less acquainted with the enactive tradition, it is our hope that this close reading will offer the necessary traction to understand how and why the enactive view became an essential alternative to outdated and often reductionistic ways of viewing the human mind. For those that have more experience with this tradition, we hope that the upcoming semesters will provide the context in which to dig more deeply into the theoretical underpinnings of the enactive view and begin to think about further applications of this view, which we’ll address more directly in Semester 4. As always, there will be ample time for in-depth discussion in each session and room for questions of all kinds.

“Although late-twentieth-century science repeatedly undermines our conviction in an ultimate ground, we nonetheless continue to seek one. We have laid down a path in both cognitive science and human experience that would lead us away from this dilemma. We repeat that this is not a purely philosophical dilemma: it is also ethical, religious, and political. Grasping can be expressed not only individually as fixation on ego-self but also collectively as fixation on racial or tribal self-identity, as well as grasping for a ground as the territory that separates one group of people from another or that one group would appropriate as its own. The idolatry of supposing not only that there is a ground but that one can appropriate it as one’s own acknowledges the other only in a purely negative, exclusionary way. The realization of groundlessness as nonegocentric responsiveness, however, requires that we acknowledge the other with whom we dependently cooriginate. If our task in the years ahead, as we believe, is to build and dwell in a planetary world, then we must learn to uproot and release the grasping tendency, especially in its collective
manifestations. ” From The Embodied Mind (1991), 2016 ed., p. 252.

This quote, taken from the penultimate chapter of The Embodied Mind, was first published in 1991 but the issues it references and the aspirations it expresses are as pressing today as they were back then. During the Core Enaction third semester (September-December 2023) we will return to The Embodied Mind in order to uncover how its authors frame and develop the path they lay down between science and human experience as a response to these issues and questions.

The series will be hosted by Dr Marek McGann, and during this semester, we will cover chapters 7-11 of the book over five sessions, with a final 6th session dedicated to a general discussion with participants and guest speakers. Each session consists of a presentation by a guest speaker followed by questions and discussions with the participants.

Schedule

Technical Information

The lectures and discussions take place on Zoom. Participation in the live Zoom room is decided through an application process. The application period for Semester 3 is now open.

As we have only a limited number of spaces in the online discussion room, the general audience will be able to follow the lectures and discussions live on our MLE YouTube channel.

We ask all participants to make a donation of their choice to support this course, as we are a not-for-profit organization and we rely on donations to organize regular programming. The suggested donation is 50 Euros for the entire semester; for those in financial difficulty, a minimum of 10 Euros is requested; and for those who wish to contribute at a “supporter level,” we would be grateful for donations of 100 Euros or more. We are very grateful for your support, at whatever level you are able to contribute and look forward to offering more programs like this in the future.

Note to participants wishing to continue Core Enaction in Semesters 2 and 3:

As we will be prioritizing close readings of The Embodied Mind in Semesters 2 and 3, we encourage all participants to acquire a copy of the book before the beginning of Semester 2 (February 2023). We recommend acquiring the most recent edition (2016), if possible, as we will be drawing from the updated introductions by E. Thompson and E. Rosch. A few different purchasing options are detailed below:

For those residing in the U.S., MIT Press has generously offered a 20% discount on the 2016 paperback edition of The Embodied Mind, if ordered through Penguin Random House. Please contact us for the discount code. Offer valid while supplies last. Limit one discount code per person. Valid for one transaction. Discount code is not redeemable for cash, is non-transferable and cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer or discount. Valid on https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/. U.S. mailing address required.

For those residing outside the U.S., you may still purchase a 2016 copy of The Embodied Mind for around 30 Euros (paperback) or 20 Euros (Kindle edition).

Post-event recordings

Click here for Semester 3 materials & recordings