Behavioral and Brain Sciences

Table of Contents - August 2012 - Volume 35, Issue 04  

Open Peer Commentary

Tool use as situated cognition

Andy Blitzera1 and Bryce Huebnera1

a1 Department of Philosophy, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057. ajb89@georgetown.edu http://philosophy.georgetown.edu/people/graduatestudents/AndyBlitzer/ lbh24@georgetown.edu http://www9.georgetown.edu/faculty/lbh24/

Abstract

Vaesen disregards a plausible alternative to his position, and so fails to offer a compelling argument for unique cognitive mechanisms. We suggest an ecological alternative, according to which divergent relationships between organism and environment, not exotic neuroanatomy, are responsible for unique cognitive capacities. This approach is pertinent to claims about primate cognition; and on this basis, we argue that Vaesen's inference from unique skills to unique mechanisms is unwarranted.

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    The cognitive bases of human tool use Krist Vaesen Philosophy & Ethics, School of Innovation Sciences, Eindhoven University of Technology, 5612 AZ Eindhoven, The Netherlands. k.vaesen@tue.nl http://home.ieis.tue.nl/kvaesen