Anti-representationalism: Not a Well-founded Theory of Cognition

This article argues for the conclusion that anti-representationalism in the cognitive

sciences is not a well-founded theory of cognition. This conclusion is supported by the observation

that the link between the sceptical demonstrations and the anti-representational conclusion is too

weak for the demonstrations to justify anti-representationalism in general. Rather than denying the

need for internal representation, this article aim to establish that representational explanation -

reconstructed within a dynamical agent-environment characterization - serves a necessary epistemic

and ontological aim: It enables us to demarcate activities that presuppose intentionality and

behavioral autonomy from activities that are merely reactive and situation-determined.