How does recognizing our deep physical and social connections change the way we understand human nature? University of Cincinnati philosophy and psychology professor Dr. Anthony Chemero joins host PJ Weary to challenge traditional Western philosophy and explore the embodied nature of cognition. Dr. Chemero unpacks his book Intertwined Creatures: The Embodied Cognitive Science of Self and Other. Together they discuss the intersection of cognitive science and feminist theory to show how deeply our environments and social circles shape who we are. In this conversation they explore: How feminist critiques of traditional philosophy reveal that our earliest experiences as infants are shared rather than isolated. The flaws of the Cartesian worldview that treats the self as a hidden mind sparsely connected to a mechanical body. Using the pub crawl from the movie The World's End to explain why viewing other people as unthinking blanks is a fundamental failure of understanding humanity. What flushing toilets and far-from-equilibrium thermodynamics teach us about the self-organizing nature of human behavior. The physical and social constraints that effortlessly coordinate our actions when we move a sofa or dance with another person. The concept of shared public moods and how our emotions are often collective rather than purely internal.This is a conversation for anyone interested in psychology and philosophy who wants to break free from the illusion of isolation and embrace a deeply connected human experience. Make sure to check out Dr. Chemero's book: Intertwined Creatures: The Embodied Cognitive Science of Self and Other 👉 https://cup.columbia.edu/book/intertwined-creatures/9780231223195/ Check out our website at chasingleviathan.com Who thinks that they can subdue Leviathan? Strength resides in its neck; dismay goes before it. When it rises up, the mighty are terrified. Nothing on earth is its equal. It is without fear. It looks down on all who are haughty; it is king over all who are proud. These words inspired PJ Wehry to create Chasing Leviathan. Chasing Leviathan was born out of two ideals: that truth is worth pursuing but will never be subjugated, and the discipline of listening is one of the most important habits anyone can develop. Timestamps0:00 – Introduction1:13 – Grad School, Feminism, and the Limits of Analytic Philosophy2:10 – From Chomsky to Dennett to Feminist Cognitive Science3:16 – Discovering Feminist Political Theory and Embodiment4:22 – Embodiment, Social Interaction, and What People Really Are4:45 – AI as Blanks and The World’s End Analogy5:33 – Why No One Around You Is a Blank6:16 – The Problem of Other Minds7:26 – Philosophy, Real Life, and Promoting Social Change8:46 – What Is a Person? Traditional Views vs Feminist Critique9:50 – Mothers, Infants, and Shared Experience10:30 – Minimal Self, Narrative Self, and a Three Year Old’s Identity11:32 – From Newborn Coexperience to Semi Autonomy12:20 – Robinson Crusoe, Technology, and Minds Without Others13:11 – Culture, Chairs, and How Social Norms Shape Perception15:00 – Are Some Cultures More Communal Than the West15:58 – How Roles and Rooms Quietly Shape Our Choices16:38 – What Are Dynamical Systems in Cognitive Science18:01 – Far From Equilibrium Thermodynamics and Living Systems19:19 – Bringing Dynamics into Neuroscience and Cognition20:11 – Frisbee Catching and Why Minds Extend Beyond the Skull20:39 – Self Organization, Constraints, and Everyday Common Sense22:28 – Toilets, Whirlpools, and How Order Emerges Without a Leader24:23 – Actions as Self Organizing Rather Than Commanded25:00 – Social Constraints, Bowls, and How Groups Shape Behavior25:27 – Carrying a Sofa Together as Joint Action27:19 – Moods as Public and Shared Rather Than Private28:37 – Personality, Moods, and Emotions Across Timescales29:10 – Shared Emotions and the Feel of Being in an Argument29:34 – Power, Hierarchy, and Antagonistic Coupling30:11 – Belittling, Culture, and How Reactions Are Learned30:59 – Novels, Violence, and How Books Shape Collective Mood31:59 – Beyond Cartesian Mind Reading32:37 – Conversations, Grumpiness, and Shared Affective Fields36:03 – Truth, Activism, and Why Theory Choice Is Moral37:02 – Chomsky, Nativism, and Morally Dubious Pictures of Persons38:17 – How Intertwined Selves Reshape Parenting and Gender39:44 – Emotional Connectedness as the Human Default40:01 – Individual Health as Community Health40:28 – Environment, Regulation, and Why the World Matters for Persons41:22 – Inverting Harmful Policies Through Interdependence41:50 – Descartes, Souls, and the Myth of Radical Independence42:47 – Relationships as Systems With Their Own Integrity45:00 – Microbiomes, Air Quality, and the Fragility of Thought47:09 – Jeff VanderMeer, Area X, and Transformative Environments50:00 – Violence, Mobs, and When Social Dynamics Go Wrong51:25 – Concluding Thoughts
