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Meaning and Cognition : A Unified Approach to Meaning-Making

Frödin, Olle LU (2025) In Sociological Theory
Abstract
Sociological approaches to culture are divided into interpretive, representational, and embodied perspectives, each grounded in distinct ontologies and causal logics derived from realism and interpretivism. This article aims to bridge embodied and representational approaches and their concomitant philosophies of science. It proposes a concept of meaning-making that unifies representational approaches and embodied approaches to culture and cognition. The article argues that meaning is not solely a result of conscious association of stimuli with concepts. Instead, meaning emerges from iterative unconscious, intuitive, and conscious inferences. This comprehensive view of meaning-making emphasizes the interconnectedness of lower-level and... (More)
Sociological approaches to culture are divided into interpretive, representational, and embodied perspectives, each grounded in distinct ontologies and causal logics derived from realism and interpretivism. This article aims to bridge embodied and representational approaches and their concomitant philosophies of science. It proposes a concept of meaning-making that unifies representational approaches and embodied approaches to culture and cognition. The article argues that meaning is not solely a result of conscious association of stimuli with concepts. Instead, meaning emerges from iterative unconscious, intuitive, and conscious inferences. This comprehensive view of meaning-making emphasizes the interconnectedness of lower-level and top-down cognitive processes, highlighting the active role of both the body and brain in creating meaning. By framing meaning-making in this way, the article demonstrates how interpretive approaches can incorporate insights from cognitive sciences, building on a common ontological foundation without contradiction. (Less)
Abstract (Swedish)
Sociological approaches to culture are divided into interpretive, representational, and embodied perspectives, each grounded in distinct ontologies and causal logics derived from realism and interpretivism. This article aims to bridge embodied and representational approaches and their concomitant philosophies of science. It proposes a concept of meaning-making that unifies representational approaches and embodied approaches to culture and cognition. The article argues that meaning is not solely a result of conscious association of stimuli with concepts. Instead, meaning emerges from iterative unconscious, intuitive, and conscious inferences. This comprehensive view of meaning-making emphasizes the interconnectedness of lower-level and... (More)
Sociological approaches to culture are divided into interpretive, representational, and embodied perspectives, each grounded in distinct ontologies and causal logics derived from realism and interpretivism. This article aims to bridge embodied and representational approaches and their concomitant philosophies of science. It proposes a concept of meaning-making that unifies representational approaches and embodied approaches to culture and cognition. The article argues that meaning is not solely a result of conscious association of stimuli with concepts. Instead, meaning emerges from iterative unconscious, intuitive, and conscious inferences. This comprehensive view of meaning-making emphasizes the interconnectedness of lower-level and top-down cognitive processes, highlighting the active role of both the body and brain in creating meaning. By framing meaning-making in this way, the article demonstrates how interpretive approaches can incorporate insights from cognitive sciences, building on a common ontological foundation without contradiction. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
organization
alternative title
Meningsskapande och kognition : Ett enhetligt synsätt på meningsskapande
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
epub
subject
in
Sociological Theory
publisher
SAGE Publications
ISSN
0735-2751
DOI
10.1177/07352751251346160
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
944f0a7b-d522-4ef0-bf79-9b85eee45c07
date added to LUP
2025-06-23 10:44:20
date last changed
2025-06-24 09:03:32
@article{944f0a7b-d522-4ef0-bf79-9b85eee45c07,
  abstract     = {{Sociological approaches to culture are divided into interpretive, representational, and embodied perspectives, each grounded in distinct ontologies and causal logics derived from realism and interpretivism. This article aims to bridge embodied and representational approaches and their concomitant philosophies of science. It proposes a concept of meaning-making that unifies representational approaches and embodied approaches to culture and cognition. The article argues that meaning is not solely a result of conscious association of stimuli with concepts. Instead, meaning emerges from iterative unconscious, intuitive, and conscious inferences. This comprehensive view of meaning-making emphasizes the interconnectedness of lower-level and top-down cognitive processes, highlighting the active role of both the body and brain in creating meaning. By framing meaning-making in this way, the article demonstrates how interpretive approaches can incorporate insights from cognitive sciences, building on a common ontological foundation without contradiction.}},
  author       = {{Frödin, Olle}},
  issn         = {{0735-2751}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{06}},
  publisher    = {{SAGE Publications}},
  series       = {{Sociological Theory}},
  title        = {{Meaning and Cognition : A Unified Approach to Meaning-Making}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/07352751251346160}},
  doi          = {{10.1177/07352751251346160}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}