In the Fifth Book Cognition, we will read and discuss Stephan Käufer and Anthony Chemero’s contemporary work Phenomenology: An Introduction together over the course of four weeks on June 9, 16, 23, and 30 (Mondays) between 20:00 – 22:00. Throughout the weeks, we will explore the historical development of phenomenology and its intersections with psychology, as well as how these intersections have laid the groundwork for and inspired contemporary discussions within embodied cognitive science.
This time, the weeks will be moderated by İlknur Eliş. Each week, participants are expected to complete around 40–50 pages of reading in advance, after which the content will be discussed collectively through both theoretical and clinical perspectives. Although the book is in English, discussions will be held in Turkish.
Stephen Käufer and Anthony Chemero’s Phenomenology: An Introduction is a comprehensive introduction to phenomenology, examining it both through its historical development and its connections with contemporary cognitive science. Tracing the lineage of thought from Kant to Husserl, and from Heidegger to Merleau-Ponty and Sartre, the book presents key ideas in a clear and systematic manner. It not only introduces the perspectives of classical philosophers but also sheds light on applied domains such as Gestalt psychology, the ecological theory of perception, and critiques of artificial intelligence. Bridging philosophy and psychology, this text offers a modern and integrative perspective on phenomenological thought.
The moderator of the event, İlknur Eliş, is currently completing her Master’s thesis in Philosophy at 29 Mayıs University. Her main areas of study include philosophy of mind, ecological psychology, enactivism, and phenomenology. Over the past five years, she has been conducting research primarily on embodied cognitive science, presenting her work in various national and international platforms where she engages with current debates in the field. In her thesis, İlknur Eliş explores the foundations of the relationship between movement and selfhood using both philosophical and scientific tools from phenomenology and enactivism. Since CogIST’s founding, she has been involved in organizing various events for the past four years and has served as the moderator of the free book club sessions for the last two years.
Week 1 (June 9) – From Consciousness to Being
We explore the foundational development of phenomenology through three distinct approaches to the mind and consciousness. Kant opens the path for phenomenological thought by proposing an active conception of the mind that determines the structural conditions of experience. Husserl transforms this legacy by establishing a systematic transcendental phenomenology centered on the universal structures of consciousness and the concept of intentionality. Heidegger, in turn, moves beyond this consciousness-centered framework, positioning human existence as being-in-the-world and redirecting phenomenology toward the question of Being itself.
- Chapter 1: Kant and Wundt
- Chapter 2: Edmund Husserl and Transcendental Phenomenology
- Chapter 3: Martin Heidegger and Existential Phenomenology
Week 2 (June 16) – Perception and the Body: A Dynamic Approach
We will focus on the foundational elements of holistic and direct experience in psychology and philosophy. Gestalt psychology emphasizes the structural wholeness of perception, drawing attention to the indivisible nature of experience and redefining the subject–object relationship as a dynamic field of interaction rather than a static divide. This perspective paves the way for a phenomenological orientation in theories of perception. Merleau-Ponty, in turn, argues that the body is not merely a perceiver but a being that establishes meaningful relations with the world, thus laying the conceptual groundwork for embodied consciousness and movement, while also opening new avenues for contemporary neurophilosophy.
- Chapter 4: Gestalt Psychology
- Chapter 5: Maurice Merleau-Ponty: The Body and Perception
Week 3 (June 23) – On Action, Relationality, and Subjectivity
We compare Sartre’s philosophy of intersubjectivity and freedom with Gibson’s ecological theory of direct perception. For Sartre, the subject emerges as a self shaped through the gaze of the Other, while Gibson turns toward a model of an agentive system that relates to the affordances offered by the environment, laying the technical foundations of this relationality through his scientific tools and concepts. In both perspectives, the subject is not understood as an isolated consciousness but as one defined by its relations to others or to the surrounding world. Thus, phenomenological philosophy and ecological psychology converge in conceiving the subject as a being that moves and acts within the world.
- Chapter 6: Jean-Paul Sartre: Phenomenological Existentialism
- Chapter 7: James J. Gibson and Ecological Psychology
Week 4 (June 30) – Artificial Intelligence, Cognitive Science, and Phenomenology
In the final session, following the earlier approaches that emphasized the holistic, direct, and action-based nature of experience in psychology and philosophy, we examine how phenomenology has been repositioned within cognitive science through Dreyfus’s critiques of the classical cognitive model. This critical trajectory, revealing the limits of representational mind models through artificial intelligence debates, opens the way for new cognitive paradigms grounded in enactivism, dynamic systems theory, and sensorimotor approaches. In doing so, phenomenology contributes not only ontologically, but also conceptually and methodologically, to the imagination of a truly interdisciplinary cognitive science.
- Chapter 8: Hubert Dreyfus and the Phenomenological Critique of Cognitivism
- Chapter 9: Phenomenological Cognitive Science
Book Cognition aims to create a discussion space where students, researchers, and enthusiasts from outside the field who are interested in cognitive science can come together around a single book and theme, engaging in intellectual exchange and collective study over several weeks. In this sense, each Kitap Kognisyon event can be thought of as a book club focused on one book. For every session, we will choose a book and hold weekly meetings moderated by a facilitator. These events will be held online on a designated day each week, and we hope they will provide a rewarding and stimulating experience for all participants. Each Book Cognition will span several weeks, during which participants will meet at a fixed time every week to discuss the book in depth.
Participants are expected to read the assigned chapters before each session.
The participation fee is 700 TL per person (including VAT). Payment details will be shared via e-mail with participants who complete the registration form as soon as possible.
As CogIST, we sorry to inform you that our Book Cognition #5 event, which we had planned as an opportunity to engage in in-depth discussions on cognitive science together, has unfortunately been cancelled due to an unexpected scheduling conflict in our moderator’s program.
