Embodying Information Systems: the Contribution of Phenomenology

This paper presents a case for embodying information systems. That is, for recognizing the fundamental importance of the body in human cognition and social action, and exploring the consequences for information systems and artificial intelligence. Current work within philosophy, biology, cognitive science, and social theory demonstrates that the Cartesian dualism of mind and body is no longer tenable, and points to the embodied and enactive nature of thought and language. Three different approaches to cognition are identified and their underlying philosophies are exemplified by Husserl, Heidegger, and Merleau-Ponty respectively. Sections of the paper cover: a philosophical and biological framework for embodied cognition; the main arguments in favor of the approach; and the implications for information systems and artificial intelligence.