This is a workshop aimed at coalescing disparate approaches to the study of mind. The common thread relating these approaches is a conception of the mind called embodiment. At its core, embodiment emphasizes the importance of studying the mind or brain from the perspective that it is situated in a body, and exists to serve that body as it interacts with the world. This workshop on embodiment includes a two-day gathering of 25-30 people intended to help coordinate thinking and catalyze research in this burgeoning area in the study of mind. Towards that end, the workshop has three main objectives: 1) to lay out a course for progress; 2) to provide necessary crosstalk and common ground between disciplines and researchers; and 3) to create an enduring educational forum for the growth of embodiment research. This workshop will bring together emerging and established faculty and students, from multiple disciplines, to build collaborative relationships, establish lines of communication, and discuss what role embodiment theories of mind can play in their own and each other?s research. To address the needs to provide crosstalk between disciplines, to organize the work on embodiment, and to educate future students of embodiment, a primary product of this workshop will be an ongoing interdisciplinary website (www.embodiedmind.org) dedicated to review and communication of ideas and research on embodiment.
, which was held at Barnard College in New York City in the Summer of 2010. This workshop gathered leading researchers from across the cognitive sciences, including from fields such of linguistics, robotics, neuroscience, various branches of psychology, and some humanities. The workshop was plenary and provided ample opportunities for presentation of new ideas and discussion. The intellectual growth and cross-germination at this workshop has led to other field organizing work, and collaborations. One such collaboration was a series of papers that appeared in 2012 in an issue in Topics in Cognitive Science. The papers serve as a cross-disciplinary introduction and overview to embodied cognition research in each of the various fields that were represented by the authors. The grant also helped lead to a website that is a dynamic source for continuing to build an interdisciplinary community. This website features articles, people, videos, books, a calendar of events, and ways to communicate and contribute. It is a forum for academics to learn about embodied cognition and mutually influence one another across disciplines. And it is also a place for those interested in studying and learning about embodied cognition to learn and connect with others involved in the endeavor. This website can be viewed at www.embodiedmind.org.
