Marco Facchin-Clerici, Ph.D.
There is no "inference
within a model"
Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 2022
Commentary on The Emperor's New Markov Blankets
Recently, Kirchhoff and Kiverstein have argued that the extended consciousness thesis, namely the claim that the material vehicles of consciousness extend beyond our heads, is entirely compatible with, and actually mandated by, a correct interpretation of the predictive processing framework. To do so, they rely on a potent argument in favor of the extended consciousness thesis, namely the Dynamical Entanglement and Unique Temporal Signature (DEUTS) argument. Here, we will critically examine Kirchhoff and Kiverstein’s endeavor, arguing for the following three claims. First, we will claim that Kirchhoff and Kiverstein’s emphasis on culture and cultural practices does not help them substantiate the extended consciousness thesis. Secondly, we will argue that the way in which Kirchhoff and Kiverstein formalize the boundaries of a subject’s conscious mind is inadequate, as it yields conclusions running counter some of their assumptions. Lastly, we will argue that the DEUTS argument does not establish the extended consciousness thesis, as it licenses a phenomenal bloat objection which is exactly analogous to the “cognitive bloat” objection to the extended mind thesis. We will thus conclude that Kirchhoff and Kiverstein’s proposed marriage between the extended consciousness thesis and predictive processing fails, and that, contrary to a popular opinion, DEUTS is not a strong argument in favor of the extended consciousness thesis.
Predictive processing and
extended consciousness: why the machinery of consciousness
is (probably) still in the head and the DEUTS argument won’t let it leak outside
The Mark of the Mental:
an alternative approach
Is there a spread to enjoy?
The state of the question on
extended consciousness
First draft of a rejected (and as for now abandoned) manuscript
I think this paper needs to be heavily modified to be submittable. I'm also thinking about changing its focus.
I'm also thinking I don't really care about consciousness
Still, feel free to read it if you wish - the manuscript is here
La coscienza estesa: una rassegna critica
Co-authored with Michele Di Francesco and Giulia Piredda
A review article on extended consciousness in italian, for the Journal of the idtalian association of cognitive science.
I importantly discovered my italian is now full of anglisms, as it should be. You can read the article here
Cartesian relational cognition and organism-centered cognitive agency
A commentary on Beyond Individual-Centered 4E cognition: System Biology and Sympoiesis by Dengso and Kirchhoff. Their article will appear soon on Constructivist Foundations (18[3]). The preprint of my short commentary is here
Illusionism as a theory of content
This article got rejected one too many times and so I decided to re-work it completely. I will keep it here as a memento.
You can read it here.
But please don't cite it!!