Abstract
In this article we move beyond the problematic distinction between ‘higher’ and ‘lower’ cognition by accounting for so-called ‘higher’ cognitive capacities in terms of skillful activities in practices, and in terms of the affordances exploited in those practices. Through ethnographic research we aim to further develop the new notion of skilled intentionality by turning to the phenomenon of the tendency towards an optimal grip on a situation in real-life situations in the field of architecture. Tending towards an optimal grip is an inherently affective and dynamic phenomenon. It has been under explored in philosophy, despite its central place in Merleau-Ponty’s phenomenology. When the architects experience discontent, attention is typically solicited by the affordances through which possible ways of continuing the improvement of the design can be explored. In various ways this tension or disequilibrium - fueling a tendency towards an optimal grip - is encountered in the complex architectural design practices that we observed. Based on our field material we distinguish between: a) grip in visual perception, b) grip on the design, and c) grip on ‘how to design’. The move towards an optimal grip takes shape by joining forces with a landscape of affordances. This landscape includes, for instance, affordances for grasping a cup of coffee, affordances provided by a cardboard model to improve it, as well as for engaging with a person who is not physically present. Because they are skilled, the architects can be responsive to these different affordances in similar ways. Furthermore, in practice the architects are responsive to multiple affordances simultaneously. Through our analysis of the tendency towards an optimal grip we show that our surroundings contribute to skillful action and cognition in a far more complex way than is currently acknowledged in philosophy and cognitive science.
Highlights
It is often assumed that the field of embodied/enactive cognition (Chemero 2009; Thompson 2007) has sensible things to say about so-called ‘lower’ cognition – e.g. grasping a glass or riding a bike – but not about ‘higher’ cognition – e.g. designing a building or comforting a friend - (Kirsh 1991; Clark and Toribio 1994; cf. Di Paolo et al 2010; Clark 2005, p. 236)
Through ethnographic research and philosophical reflection, we aim to develop this new notion of Skilled Intentionality further by turning to the phenomenon of the tendency towards an optimal grip on a situation
To understand Skilled Intentionality it is helpful to investigate further the phenomenon of the tendency towards an optimal grip in concrete situations of skilled activity. This notion of the tendency towards an optimal grip is crucial for understanding Skilled Intentionality and the self-organization of the individual-environment system (Kirchhoff 2015), but even its phenomenology has been underexplored in the literature (Rietveld 2012)
Summary
It is often assumed that the field of embodied/enactive cognition (Chemero 2009; Thompson 2007) has sensible things to say about so-called ‘lower’ cognition – e.g. grasping a glass or riding a bike – but not about ‘higher’ cognition – e.g. designing a building or comforting a friend - (Kirsh 1991; Clark and Toribio 1994; cf. Di Paolo et al 2010; Clark 2005, p. 236). This notion of the tendency towards an optimal grip is crucial for understanding Skilled Intentionality and the self-organization of the individual-environment system (Kirchhoff 2015), but even its phenomenology has been underexplored in the literature (Rietveld 2012) It is still poorly understood, certainly in cases of what is traditionally called ‘higher’ cognition, such as for example architectural design practices. 160), the focus was on Bwhat is being done^ in the intertwinement of the material and the social in practice (cf Orlikowski 2007; Suchman 2007). (Doing should be understood its broadest sense in our research, so as to include linguistic acts and non-verbal expression in people’s engagements with different aspects of their situations.) Through specific focus on the architects’ daily activities as well as all kinds of materials, instruments, techniques, skills and so on involved, it was possible to investigate the knowledge incorporated in situated daily events and design activities In this way insight of critical detail is gained into how the architects design - in this case - a large mobile sculpture the size of a small house. In Part 2 we introduce the second real-life episode, analyze the tendency towards an optimal grip in a complex social situation, and shed light on the complexity involved
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