Abstract
This paper proposes an account of the role of attention in the evolution of cognition. I develop a ‘Needs-Based Account’ of the proper function of attention, according to which attention functions to channel cognitive resources towards the fulfilment of the individual’s needs. This account is contrasted with other prominent approaches, including Chris Mole’s Cognitive Unison Theory (2010), Wayne Wu’s Selection-For-Action view (2014), and Sebastian Watzl’s Organizational Conception (2017). The Needs-Based Account is motivated by its explanatory potential in accounting for the origins of the possibly distinctively human capacity for ‘detached factic thought’; the ability to represent states of affairs completely isolated from the cognizer’s environment and motivations. I also consider a possible objection: that the Needs-Based Account incorrectly predicts that mind-wandering (a form of detached factic thought) is a malfunction in attention.
How to attend
This is a read-ahead seminar. The meetings have a hybrid format. We meet in person in GM 652 and digitally on Zoom (Zoom login required).
The meeting link, along with a copy of the paper to be discussed, will be made available in advance via the mailing list.