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Art and Externalism

This journal article is significant because it makes a novel contribution to a key debate in contemporary philosophy and science of mind, and in doing so links current research in these areas to art history and theory. The debate concerns the nature and location of mind, and in particular the degree to which mental properties, such as thought, cognition and consciousness, can be said to extend beyond the brain. There is a vigorous ongoing debate between those advocating opposing views, with some camps arguing that the brain is the sole seat of mental activity (internalists) and others arguing for mental properties that extend into the body and the world (externalists). Pepperell’s original contribution to this debate is to use evidence from the statements and practice of artists to construct a theory of mental properties combining both internalism and externalism within a more inclusive explanatory framework. This represents a key advance in the debate, and the publication of this paper in the leading international journal devoted to the interdisciplinary study of consciousness will help to ensure this contribution is widely disseminated among key thinkers in the field. By drawing on the intellectual culture of artists and art history Pepperell has made the case that artists can make an important contribution to wider debates in the sciences and humanities on important contemporary topics. This is consistent with his overall aim of combining ideas from art, science and philosophy to advance human understanding on some of the deepest conceptual problems we face, such as the nature of mind and the relationship between ourselves and the world. The high standing of the journal, and its reputation for presenting leading research in the field, required the highest standards of rigour in argument and use of evidence.