Cognitive Technologies and the Pragmatics of Cognition

Benjamins Current Topics #12

by Itiel E. Dror (Editor)

Technology has long been a helpful aid in human cognitive activities. With its growing sophistication and usage, technology is now taking a more intrinsic and active role in human cognition. The shift from an external aid to being an internal component of cognitive processing reflects a revolution in technology, cognition, and their interaction. The creation of such ‘cognitive technologies’ transforms the traditional instrumental function of technology to a constitutive role that shapes and defines cognition itself. This book, which was originally published as a Special Issue of Pragmatics & Cognition 13:3 (2005), explores the new horizon of these ‘cognitive technologies’ and their interactions with humans.

186 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Justpassingby]

This is a collection of essays that have appeared in journals before, purporting to provide the reader with an overview or a foretaste of cognitive science. The collection is actually rather broad in scope and diverse in quality and style, ranging from the philosophical and near-hermetic to the hot air of business consultancy. As such it is no better or no worse than the average volume of conference proceedings; and as with conference proceedings, the bibliography is more interesting than the actual content (there is even a reference to Douglas Adams). I will especially remember the last essay about empirical modeling and radical empiricism, which is relevant to my own work in data mining and has a cute connection to the city of Coventry where I lived for a brief period.