How the Body Shapes the Mind

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This interdisciplinary work explores philosophical questions through evidence from experimental psychology, neuroscience, pathology, and developmental psychology, highlighting the inescapable role of embodiment in cognition. Despite advancements across these fields, a common vocabulary is needed to integrate discussions on brain mechanisms, behavioral expressions, artificial intelligence, and embodied experience in phenomenology and philosophy of mind. The author aims to create this vocabulary and a conceptual framework that avoids overly reductionistic and inflationistic approaches. Two main sets of questions are pursued. The first addresses the phenomenal aspects of experience, focusing on the consistent features within our consciousness. A constant reference to one's own body, even if marginal, is seen as a structural element of consciousness that influences other experiential aspects. The second set delves into the less accessible dimensions of experience, examining how consciousness and cognitive processes—such as perception, memory, imagination, and belief—are shaped by embodiment. This inquiry seeks to uncover the hidden structures of experience that often elude reflective consciousness, ultimately aiming to understand the profound impact of our embodied existence on cognition.