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The Extended Mind refers to an emerging concept within the philosophy of mind that addresses the question as to the division point between the mind and the environment by promoting the view of active externalism. This view proposes that some objects in the external environment are utilized by the mind in such a way that the objects can be seen as extensions of the mind itself. Specifically, the mind is seen to encompass every level of the cognitive process, which will often include the use of environmental aids.

The seminal work in the field is The Extended Mind, by Andy Clark and David Chalmers. In this paper, Clark and Chalmers present the idea of active externalism, (similar to semantic or "content" externalism,) in which objects within the environment function as a part of the mind. They argue that it is arbitrary to say that the mind is contained only within the boundaries of the skull. The separation between the mind, the body, and the environment is seen as an unprincipled distinction. Because external objects play a significant role in aiding cognitive processes, the mind and the environment act as a "coupled system.” This coupled system can be seen as a complete cognitive system of its own. In this manner, the mind is extended into the external world. The main criterion that Clark and Chalmers outline for approaching the use of external environmental objects utilized during cognitive tasks as a part of an extended cognitive system is that the external objects must function with the same purpose as the internal processes.

In The Extended Mind, a thought experiment is presented to further illustrate the environment's role in connection to the mind. The fictional characters Otto and Inga are both travelling to a museum simultaneously. Otto has Alzheimer’s Disease, and has written all of his instructions down in a notebook to serve the function of his memory. Inga is able to recall the internal instructions within her memory. In a traditional sense, Inga can be thought to have had a belief as to the location of the museum before consulting her memory. In the same manner, Otto can be said to have held a belief of the location of the museum before consulting his notebook. The argument is that the only difference existing in these two cases is that Inga's memory is being internally processed by the brain, while Otto's memory is being served by the notebook. In other words, Otto's mind has been extended to include the notebook as the source of his memory. The notebook qualifies as such because it is constantly and immediately accessible to Otto, and it is automatically endorsed by him.

[edit] External links

• http://consc.net/papers/extended.html - Chalmer and Clark's paper
• Offloading Cognition onto Cognitive Technology

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extended_Mind"

Categories: Epistemology | Internalism and externalism | Philosophy of mind | Cognitive science literature

Everything You Know About Web Design is Wrong: Sharing Dan Willis’ SxSW panel

July 3rd, 2009 • Web Design

So I’ve been meaning to write this up for a while now, as it relates to a session that I attended at the SxSW Interactive Festival this year, which is now a while past. Better late than never, I suppose. Be warned; this post is a lengthy one, and is a little bit more technically focused than some of my previous pieces. I’ll credit him again, but Dan Willis, who presented the session, is responsible for these ideas – I’m merely summarizing what Dan shared with all of us. Read about it after the break.

When looking back on my experience at SxSW, there was only one session that I found true value out of. Luckily, I think it provided enough value for me to make the entire trip worth it from a professional sense. That session was Sapient’s Dan Willis‘ Everything You Know About Web Design is Wrong. I attended the session based on the name and the description alone, but was admittedly skeptical as to how useful the content would be. Dan definitely pleasantly surprised me. I’ll give you a brief synopsis of some of the takeaways from it, and then offer a case study or two as to who might benefit from this sort of thinking.

Web designers were brought into the marketing world long after print work existed, which has led to a number of problems within the web design world. Namely, it seems that much of what we do is in the creation of “pretty pictures” that marketers are stereotyped into doing. What I (well, what Willis) means by this is that far too few web designers and companies use web native content; instead, much of what exists is print in disguise. If I could take your website and place all of its content in a brochure, it’s print in disguise. If your content is static, it’s print in disguise. If it looks nice but isn’t usable, it’s not only print in disguise, but it’s also terrible web design. The web has in fact not become the medium in its own right that technology enables it to be. It’s time to change that, and take advantage of what the web offers us.

Willis uses what he called the “Grammar of the Web” – 5 specific things that the web has going for it, and where we should be looking with our design work. They are as follows:

1. Random voyeurism

   Users like to watch what others are doing. Facebook, Flickr, Twitter; all of these social networks are based around that principle. As designers, we need to realize that the user and the content are what is key; how can we play into this tendency and keep users engaged with our site? Can we create content or interactions that will encourage this phenomena?

Self-aware (but uncontrollable) content

Content is no longer as key as what it means in a literal sense, but the metadata associated with content affects the meaning of it. Willis uses the example of Googlebombing as a demonstration of this; googling miserable failure used to link to George W. Bush’s presidential biography, until Google removed it. By allowing content to know what other terms associate with it like that, but without giving control of that to the content itself, we create unique experiences that create a shift in power from the author to the reader. YOU determine what’s important with the content.

User-created Context

Context is EVERYTHING – the mood of whatever content is on your page can be changed easily because of what is around it. This is most apparent on a page with dynamic content (like a blog, or a news site) where articles can have their meaning affected by the content that has come before or after it chronologically, or by related content. It can also be affected simply by the path your user took into getting to your content – important to know, even if you can’t control that.

Ambient Awareness

This is probably the term that is the most “meaningless” in terms of the combination of the words – it describes the knowledge that a user gains by aggregating a significant number of data points. In this context, microblogging – Twitter – is a perfect example of this; as Willis put it, Twitter is both trivial (on an individual update level) and profound (in terms of the conversations and learning that happens as a result of these individual updates.) Ambient awareness is important on a macro level as well. The information that a user may have about you or what it is that you’re talking about will affect how your content is interpreted. As you can see, this is closely related to the last point.

Experiential Content

And now that I’ve used content in each of the previous points, I’m going to blow up the concept of what content means. It’s no longer just the text and media that appears on a page – that’s certainly a component of the content, but the inherent definition of content is shifting towards the experience that a user has while interacting with others, or your platform. It’s not just what the content is, but it’s what it DOES for the users.

Remember, design isn’t just visual design. Design inherently is intended to solve problems, and to provide creative solutions. Visual design is merely a component of the overall design process. Don’t hide bad design with pretty pictures – if your site isn’t functional, or doesn’t provide your users with value from their visit, you’re not doing it right.

Let’s talk about a case study, so that the less technical can understand what it is that I’m getting at here. There are a TON of examples of industries that are not taking advantage of what the web has to offer them. The most obvious of these is the newspaper industry. As more and more people get their news content online (reportedly, over 40% of ALL web traffic in North America is to sites classified as news sites), newspapers have failed to take advantage of what it is that they could be offering their users. By basically putting their print edition content online, linked via whatever section it may correspond to, they’re not using web native content to its capabilities. So, what could they do? Tell stories through the content that exists online – create linkages to articles of related manner, and let the reader browse through the articles based on the specific subject, not based on the general section topic. More interestingly, what if you aggregated data from within these articles so that you can compile statistics, and aid in telling stories through this manner as well? Recognize that your readers are just as interested in this information as they are the stories that they can likely read in multiple papers – especially wire pieces. Those are just a couple of examples of moves that web-native content allow to happen easily – I’m sure you can all think of more. Some properties are starting to do this quite well – the Globe and Mail comes to mind – but others are years behind in this process.

As I’ve stated consistently, Dan Willis does a much better job explaining these concepts. Read his article prepared for SXSW on it here (Opens a PDF), and share any thoughts you may have in the comments. Do you agree with the 5 elements Dan identified?

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1. Laying Plans

Ts`ao Kung, in defining the meaning of the Chinese for the title of this chapter, says it refers to the deliberations in the temple selected by the general for his temporary use, or as we should say, in his tent. See ss. 26.

1

Sun Tzu said: The art of war is of vital importance to the State. #

2

It is a matter of life and death, a road either to safety or to ruin. Hence it is a subject of inquiry which can on no account be neglected. #

3

The art of war, then, is governed by five constant factors, to be taken into account in one's deliberations, when seeking to determine the conditions obtaining in the field. #

4

These are: (1) The Moral Law; (2) Heaven; (3) Earth; (4) The Commander; (5) Method and discipline. #

It appears from what follows that Sun Tzu means by "Moral Law" a principle of harmony, not unlike the Tao of Lao Tzu in its moral aspect. One might be tempted to render it by "morale," were it not considered as an attribute of the ruler in ss. 13.

5,6

The MORAL LAW causes the people to be in complete accord with their ruler, so that they will follow him regardless of their lives, undismayed by any danger. #

Tu Yu quotes Wang Tzu as saying: "Without constant practice, the officers will be nervous and undecided when mustering for battle; without constant practice, the general will be wavering and irresolute when the crisis is at hand."

7

HEAVEN signifies night and day, cold and heat, times and seasons. #

The commentators, I think, make an unnecessary mystery of two words here. Meng Shih refers to "the hard and the soft, waxing and waning" of Heaven. Wang Hsi, however, may be right in saying that what is meant is "the general economy of Heaven," including the five elements, the four seasons, wind and clouds, and other phenomena.

8

EARTH comprises distances, great and small; danger and security; open ground and narrow passes; the chances of life and death. #

9

The COMMANDER stands for the virtues of wisdom, sincerity, benevolence, courage and strictness. #

The five cardinal virtues of the Chinese are (1) humanity or benevolence; (2) uprightness of mind; (3) self-respect, self-control, or "proper feeling;" (4) wisdom; (5) sincerity or good faith. Here "wisdom" and "sincerity" are put before "humanity or benevolence," and the two military virtues of "courage" and "strictness" substituted for "uprightness of mind" and "self-respect, self-control, or 'proper feeling.'"

10

By METHOD AND DISCIPLINE are to be understood the marshaling of the army in its proper subdivisions, the graduations of rank among the officers, the maintenance of roads by which supplies may reach the army, and the control of military expenditure. #

11

These five heads should be familiar to every general: he who knows them will be victorious; he who knows them not will fail. #

12

Therefore, in your deliberations, when seeking to determine the military conditions, let them be made the basis of a comparison, in this wise: #

13

(1) Which of the two sovereigns is imbued with the Moral law? #

I.e., "is in harmony with his subjects." Cf. ss. 5.

(2) Which of the two generals has most ability? #

(3) With whom lie the advantages derived from Heaven and Earth? #

See ss. 7,8

(4) On which side is discipline most rigorously enforced? #

Tu Mu alludes to the remarkable story of Ts`ao Ts`ao (A.D. 155-220), who was such a strict disciplinarian that once, in accordance with his own severe regulations against injury to standing crops, he condemned himself to death for having allowed his horse to shy into a field of corn! However, in lieu of losing his head, he was persuaded to satisfy his sense of justice by cutting off his hair. Ts`ao Ts`ao's own comment on the present passage is characteristically curt: "when you lay down a law, see that it is not disobeyed; if it is disobeyed the offender must be put to death."

(5) Which army is stronger? #

Morally as well as physically. As Mei Yao-ch`en puts it, freely rendered, "ESPIRIT DE CORPS and 'big battalions.'"

(6) On which side are officers and men more highly trained? #

Tu Yu quotes Wang Tzu as saying: "Without constant practice, the officers will be nervous and undecided when mustering for battle; without constant practice, the general will be wavering and irresolute when the crisis is at hand."

(7) In which army is there the greater constancy both in reward and punishment? #

On which side is there the most absolute certainty that merit will be properly rewarded and misdeeds summarily punished?

14

By means of these seven considerations I can forecast victory or defeat. #

15

The general that hearkens to my counsel and acts upon it, will conquer: let such a one be retained in command! The general that hearkens not to my counsel nor acts upon it, will suffer defeat: let such a one be dismissed! #

The form of this paragraph reminds us that Sun Tzu's treatise was composed expressly for the benefit of his patron Ho Lu, king of the Wu State.

16

While heeding the profit of my counsel, avail yourself also of any helpful circumstances over and beyond the ordinary rules. #

17

According as circumstances are favorable, one should modify one's plans. #

Sun Tzu, as a practical soldier, will have none of the "bookish theoric." He cautions us here not to pin our faith to abstract principles; "for," as Chang Yu puts it, "while the main laws of strategy can be stated clearly enough for the benefit of all and sundry, you must be guided by the actions of the enemy in attempting to secure a favorable position in actual warfare." On the eve of the battle of Waterloo, Lord Uxbridge, commanding the cavalry, went to the Duke of Wellington in order to learn what his plans and calculations were for the morrow, because, as he explained, he might suddenly find himself Commander-in-chief and would be unable to frame new plans in a critical moment. The Duke listened quietly and then said: "Who will attack the first tomorrow—I or Bonaparte?" "Bonaparte," replied Lord Uxbridge. "Well," continued the Duke, "Bonaparte has not given me any idea of his projects; and as my plans will depend upon his, how can you expect me to tell you what mine are?"[1="Words on Wellington," by Sir. W. Fraser.]

18

All warfare is based on deception. #

The truth of this pithy and profound saying will be admitted by every soldier. Col. Henderson tells us that Wellington, great in so many military qualities, was especially distinguished by "the extraordinary skill with which he concealed his movements and deceived both friend and foe."

19

Hence, when able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must seem inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away, we must make him believe we are near. #

20

Hold out baits to entice the enemy. Feign disorder, and crush him. #

All commentators, except Chang Yu, say, "When he is in disorder, crush him." It is more natural to suppose that Sun Tzu is still illustrating the uses of deception in war.

21

If he is secure at all points, be prepared for him. If he is in superior strength, evade him. #

22

If your opponent is of choleric temper, seek to irritate him. Pretend to be weak, that he may grow arrogant. #

Wang Tzu, quoted by Tu Yu, says that the good tactician plays with his adversary as a cat plays with a mouse, first feigning weakness and immobility, and then suddenly pouncing upon him.

23

If he is taking his ease, give him no rest. #

This is probably the meaning though Mei Yao-ch`en has the note: "while we are taking our ease, wait for the enemy to tire himself out." The YU LAN has "Lure him on and tire him out."

If his forces are united, separate them. #

Less plausible is the interpretation favored by most of the commentators: "If sovereign and subject are in accord, put division between them."

24

Attack him where he is unprepared, appear where you are not expected. #

25

These military devices, leading to victory, must not be divulged beforehand. #

26

Now the general who wins a battle makes many calculations in his temple ere the battle is fought. #

Chang Yu tells us that in ancient times it was customary for a temple to be set apart for the use of a general who was about to take the field, in order that he might there elaborate his plan of campaign.

The general who loses a battle makes but few calculations beforehand. Thus do many calculations lead to victory, and few calculations to defeat: how much more no calculation at all! It is by attention to this point that I can foresee who is likely to win or lose. #

Sun Tzu's estimates, with slight adjustments, could apply to knowledge games. Consider the following:

The art of the knowledge game is governed by five constant factors, to be taken into account in one's deliberations:

(1) Cohesion; (2) Emotion; (3) Medium; (4) Moderation; (5) Method.

COHESION is the alignment between people and their collective purpose.

EMOTION is the energy that fuels the collective endeavor.

MEDIUM comprises the limitations and opportunities inherent in the game space, whether it be physical, virtual or a combination of the two.

MODERATION stands for the initial framing and regulation of the game, by leader, guide, curator or catalyst.

METHOD is the structure and constraints inherent to the game, and the rules by which it proceeds.