Send a love message

Intentions and Agency: A Deep Dive into Ecological Psychology

Join Mirko Prokop and Andrea Hiott as they examine 'Intentions in Ecological Psychology, an Anscombian Perspective' by Miguel Segundo-Ortin and Annemarie Kalis. This engaging discussion explores the concept of intention from a naturalistic standpoint, intersecting with ecological psychology. Topics include the role of intention in agency, the influence of Elizabeth Anscombe, teleology, goal-directed behavior, and non-representational nature of intentions. Delving into the idea of affordances, they shed light on how intentions shape perception and behavior across species, emphasizing the importance of interdisciplinary approaches to understanding human and animal cognition.

00:00 Introduction and Guest Introduction
01:08 Discussing the Paper: Intentions in Ecological Psychology
02:10 Exploring Key Concepts: Philosophy of Action and Enactivism
04:27 Understanding Ecological Psychology and Affordances
12:38 Agency and Perception-Action Loops
20:38 Intentional Action and Human Agency
31:58 Philosophical Perspectives on Intention
48:07 Exploring Human and Animal Agency
49:15 Intention as Organization of Patterns
50:33 Anscombe's Practical Knowledge
54:23 Naturalistic Notion of Intention
56:23 Embodied Cognition and Practical Knowledge
01:02:10 Social Context and Practical Knowledge
01:17:01 Teleology and Goal-Oriented Behavior
01:30:39 Affordances and Intentional Action
01:34:23 Interdisciplinary Approach to Cognition

The paper discussed here, by Miguel Segundo-Ortin and Annemarie Kalis, is called Intentions in Ecological Psychology: An Anscombean Proposal and is available to read here: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/365264374_Intentions_in_Ecological_Psychology_An_Anscombean_Proposal

Thoreau quote discussed: "In our most trivial walks, we are constantly, though unconsciously, steering like pilots by certain well–known beacons and headlands, and if we go beyond our usual course we still carry in our minds the bearing of some neighboring cape; and not till we are completely lost, or turned round—for a man needs only to be turned round once with his eyes shut in this world to be lost—do we appreciate the vastness and strangeness of nature. Every man has to learn the points of compass again as often as he awakes, whether from sleep or any abstraction. Not till we are lost, in other words not till we have lost the world, do we begin to find ourselves, and realize where we are and the infinite extent of our relations."

Full intro and notes here.

Care is not the opposite of love. It is the very urge of life. 'Caring for what?' is the primary question. That we have a choice about what we care for and how is what makes us human, but it's quite the challenge and responsibility. Let's help one another handle it.

Support the show

Buy Holding Paradox: The Navigational Approach to Mind and Consciousness by Andrea Hiott

Sign up for Making Ways newsletter and projects.

Please rate and review with love.
YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Substack.