ABSTRACT
Typically, we use the concept of embodiment to redress problematic, impoverished, or compartmentalized views of mental life by providing two solutions: (a) the biological and (b) the social. The biological solution heals the rift between mind and body by connecting mental contents and processing either to the brain or to “being an active agent with a particular body” that affords particular encounters with the world. The social solution enriches the study of mental life by situating the encounters with the world in a social, historical, and cultural context. The particular kind of body exists in a particular kind of world with a particular social structure. The mind is connected to specific social goals, tasks, and activities located in daily life. These seem easy
solutions if embodiment simply integrates the spurious dichotomies of nature versus nurture or brain and behavior (Overton, 2003).
