Clark and Chalmers begin justifying their argument …show more content…
This means that the two separate, distinct entities, Otto and the notebook, synthesize into one greater entity that can be understood as ‘a cognitive system in its own right’ (Extend Mind). In this new synthesized cognitive system, each element (Otto and the notebook) serve as its own distinct role in the act of acquiring knowledge. Clark and Chalmers proceed to show that ‘the competency of Otto’s cognitive process would drop if the notebook were removed’ (Extended Mind). This is similar to how losing part of one’s brain would diminish that individual’s mental capacity. According to Clark and Chalmers, this suggests that the mind extends into the