Missteps on the Road Toward Macrocognition
Missteps on the Road Toward Macrocognition
This chapter discusses two cases where the informational architecture of a distributed system yields robust patterns of collective behavior, but where we have no good reason to posit a unified cognitive system: the architecture of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and the organization of termite colonies. In light of these cases, it is argued that the intentional stance offers an entry point into questions about collective mentality, but that a plausible defence of collective mentality must address difficult questions about the implementation of mentality.
Keywords: Collective intentionality, Psychological explanation, Intentional stance, Functionalism
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