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Joint Action: The Challenge

Origins of Mind : 07

s.butterfill & [email protected]

challenge
Explain the emergence of sophisticated human activities including referential communication and mindreading.
The challenge is to explain the emergence, in evolution or development, of sophisticated forms of human activity including, referential communication and mindreading.
A number of researchers have suggested that meeting this challenge requires us to invoke some kind of social interaction ...
According to what Moll and Tomasello call the Vygotskian Intelligence Hypothesis,

‘participation in … leads children to construct uniquely powerful forms of cognitive representation.’

(Moll & Tomasello 2007)

(Moll & Tomasello, 2007)

‘perception, action, and cognition are grounded in ’

(Knoblich & Sebanz 2006)

(Knoblich & Sebanz, 2006, p. \ 103)

‘human cognitive abilities … [are] built upon ’

(Sinigaglia and Sparaci 2008)

(Sinigaglia & Sparaci, 2008)
I'm going to assume that they are right.
If we take these ideas seriously, the first question we need to ask is, What kinds of social interaction matters for the emergence of sophisticated human activities?

What kinds of social interaction?  Joint action!

There seems to be some consensus on the idea that joint action is particularly important.
challenge
Explain the emergence of sophisticated human activities including referential communication and mindreading.
So the challenge was to explain the emergence of sophisticated human activities including referential communication and mindreading.
conjecture
Joint action plays a role in explaining how sophisticated human activities emerge.
The conjecture I want to consider, borrowed from a variety of researchers, is that joint action plays a role in explaining how sophisticated human activities emerge. There is a compelling objection to this conjecture. It will take me a while to explain what the objection is. The objection arises when we ask ask what joint action is.