The Comprehensive History of Cognition (Comprehensiveness is not completeness but sufficiency)

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History of Cognition

Dr Neville Buch

Dr Buch will facilitate a discussion on the history of cognition from Descartes to the early theorists of metacognition. René Descartes (1596–1650) came up with the phrase “Cogito, ergo sum”, which means “I think, therefore I am.” He took a philosophical approach to the study of cognition and the mind; with his Meditations he wanted people to meditate along with him to come to the same conclusions as he did but in their own free cognition.

Metacognitive characteristics of attitudes may be key to understanding how attitudes change. Research shows that the frequency of positive or negative thoughts is the biggest factor in attitude change. A person may believe that climate change is occurring but have negative thoughts toward it such as “If I accept the responsibilities of climate change, I must change my lifestyle”. These individuals would not likely change their behaviour compared to someone that thinks positively about the same issue such as “By using less electricity, I will be helping the planet”.

Dr Buch’s paper charts the movement in thought over some 400 years.

Cognition History