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Quantum Cognition – Quantum Analogy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 July 2021

Michael Fortescue*
Affiliation:
Department of Nordic Studies and Linguistics, University of Copenhagen. Email: [email protected]

Abstract

Attempts to apply the apparatus of quantum mechanics to cognition and language have met, understandably, with a degree of scepticism within the disciplines concerned, but they nevertheless have the potential for opening exciting new perspectives. In this article, I address the question as to what it is exactly about these attempts that has drawn such attention – both positive and negative – in recent years. I shall argue for distinguishing those aspects of quantum cognition that do warrant serious consideration by cognitive psychologists and linguists irrespective of the exact nature of its relationship to classical quantum mechanics. The key lies in the important role played by analogy in both disciplines.

Type
Article
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Academia Europaea

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