Reference Work Entry

Encyclopedia of Creativity, Invention, Innovation and Entrepreneurship

pp 863-869

How does Material Culture Extend the Mind?

  • Johan De SmedtAffiliated withDepartment of Philosophy & Ethics, Ghent UniversityUehiro Centre for Practical Ethics, University of Oxford Email author 
  • , Helen De CruzAffiliated withSomerville College, University of OxfordCentre for Logic and Analytical Philosophy, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven


Cognitive integration; Cognitive scaffolding; Epistemic engineering; Extended cognition; Extended mind; Extended mind thesis

Material Culture and the Brain

Humans rely extensively on material culture when they are thinking, including when they are involved in reasoning tasks that require creative solutions. Examples are measuring devices like compasses and barometers; external memory aids like calendars, books, and maps; calculating instruments like abaci and slide rules; and highly specialized tools like imaging software. Even a brief look around one’s desk suffices to indicate that humans are surrounded by artifacts that are specifically designed to perform a variety of cognitive tasks. Why do humans rely so extensively on external tools? What are the kinds of cognitive tasks that material culture helps them to accomplish? How are they instrumental in helping them complete such tasks? This entry of the extended cognition literature will loo ...

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