Review: “The Enactive Mind”, by Giovanni Rolla

Abstract

Giovanni Rolla’s A Mente Enativa stands out as a valuable introductory work for readers interested in approaching enactivism. With clear language and a well-organized structure, the author provides an accessible overview for beginners in the study of embodied cognition. Structured in five chapters, the volume develops a consistent critique of traditional cognitivism and presents a well-articulated defense of enactivism, especially in the form of a “unified enactivism.” Furthermore, Rolla proposes an epistemology coherent with this approach, deepening the connection between cognition, embodiment, and the lived world. In what follows, we will present each chapter of the volume and conclude the review with some criticisms of the enactive tradition that may broaden the debates presented by Rolla.