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This paper argues for revisiting the traditional adscription of ambiguous readings of personal pronouns, such as hearer-dominantweor genericyou, pluralis maiestatis and pluralis modestiae to specific genres and/or registers. Indeed, in many languages these phenomena are considered typical for a certain genre, register or discourse context. In this paper, I will argue, on the basis of quantitative data and a qualitative analysis of examples taken from different genres (including purposefully creative language use in fiction), that a more accurate account may be formulated in terms of (inter)subjective effect, viz. the attention to the (inter)locutor (among others Benveniste 1966), as a more suitable explanation for the variation of these phenomena attested in corpora.The hearer-oriented uses ofwe, for instance, are considered typical for relationships characterized by power asymmetries such as teacher-student, doctor-patient (Haverkate 1984: 87; Brown & Levinson 1987), whereas generic and speaker-referringyouhave been considered a feature of (informal) oral language than written discourse (Hidalgo Navarro 1996). Recent corpus-based analyses including quantitative and qualitative analyses, however, call for a more nuanced view (De Cock 2011 on Spanish and English; Tarenskeen 2010 on Dutch). We may, for example, find hearer-oriented or even hearer-dominant 1stperson plural forms (Have we taken our medicine?) in contexts where no power- relationship can be defined, e.g. among couples.It will be shown that these uses have different intersubjective effects, however. Their distribution is in line with overall differences as to intersubjectivity according to register and genre, beyond referential ambiguity. The concept of (inter)subjectivity then allows for a more comprehensive analysis of these phenomena and their occurrence in specific registers and genres, addressing the way in which the (inter)locutor is taken into account in each genre.

This commentary reviews the five studies of intercultural communication in this special issue by comparing the nature of data analyzed and analytical procedures adopted. The data span from Africa, Asia, to North America, where different cultural, national, or ethnic groups were engaged in different types of social activities; their diversity illustrates how the participants’ ascription of, and resistance towards, their cultural, national, or ethnic identities reflect unique features of the sociohistorical contexts and the nature of their activities. In order to investigate such distinct treatments of interculturality, the researchers seek an analytical lens in the frameworks of ‘interactional sociolinguistics’ (Goffman 1974, 1981; Gumperz 1982, 1992) and ‘membership categorization analysis’ (Sacks 1972, 1992). The metamethodological reflection considers the selection of focal phenomena as well as the use of ethnographic information and the researchers’ own membership knowledge in the process of interpretation, and addresses the issues concerning how to attain an “emic” perspective of cultural difference and sameness.

Purpose The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic has drastically affected the public discourse on tourism in news reporting and on social media, potentially changing social perceptions of travel and its utility for conspicuous consumption. Prestige enhancement is a common tourist motivation, yet, as tourists have been portrayed as irresponsible and even dangerous during the pandemic, the benefits of travel for personal prestige may have been affected. The purpose of this study is to monitor changes in tourists’ personal prestige during the early pandemic in 2020. Design/methodology/approach The authors developed an innovative study design implicitly measuring the personal prestige of tourists shown on experimentally manipulated social media posts. Three measurement waves were issued to compare the personal prestige of tourists just before, during and after the first lockdown situation in Germany. Findings Differences regarding evaluations of tourists’ prestige were found for prestige dimensions of hedonism, achievements, wealth and power, suggesting that prestige ascription to tourists has been affected by the changing discourse on leisure travel. Originality/value This study contributes to the discussion of the socio-psychological effects of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on customer benefits of leisure travel. It exposes possible impacts of the pandemic on tourisms’ value for conspicuous consumption and prestige enhancement.

Urban-rural integrated development has been widely conducted in China, and plenty of resource consumption and environmental problems have arisen during this process. Meanwhile, the importance of environmental governance has been emphasized in social collaborative governance. Although existing studies have focused on the governance policies on urban and rural development, the residents’ participation willingness toward collaborative governance should not be neglected, especially in environmental governance. Accordingly, this study identified the determinants influencing the participation intention toward the collaborative environmental governance of residents in the Yangtze River Delta Region by a combined theoretical model, which added three decisive predictors from the theory of planned behavior to the norm-activation model. We collected 312 valid questionnaires and employed structural equation modeling for analysis. Results implied that, in order of significance, personal norm, behavioral attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control presented positive influences on behavioral intention. Personal norm was significantly underlain by awareness of consequence and ascription of responsibility, and the significant influence of awareness of consequence on behavioral intention was not demonstrated. This study proposes related managerial implications to improve public participation willingness regarding collaborative environmental governance during urban-rural integrated development processes in the Yangtze River Delta Region.

Schegloff (1996) has argued that grammars are “positionally-sensitive”, implying that the situated use and understanding of linguistic formats depends on their sequential position. Analyzing the German format Kannst du X? (corresponding to English Can you X?) based on 82 instances from a large corpus of talk-in-interaction (FOLK), this paper shows how different action-ascriptions to turns using the same format depend on various orders of context. We show that not only sequential position, but also epistemic status, interactional histories, multimodal conduct, and linguistic devices co-occurring in the same turn are decisive for the action implemented by the format. The range of actions performed with Kannst du X? and their close interpretive interrelationship suggest that they should not be viewed as a fixed inventory of context-dependent interpretations of the format. Rather, the format provides for a root-interpretation that can be adapted to local contextual contingencies, yielding situated action-ascriptions that depend on constraints created by contexts of use.

Official categorization systems classify some states, including island-states, as small. Malta, located in the Mediterranean Sea, is one of six European microstates and the European Union’s smallest member state. Smallness, however, refers to more than fixed geographic scales. The understanding of smallness developed in this article, in contrast, moves beyond geographic features and argues instead that smallness is related to perceptions, experiences, and ascriptions. We challenge universal understandings of smallness against the backdrop of ethnographic research carried out in Malta (2013–2018) by exploring how island-related smallness is produced and used situationally in the context of (im)mobility. By focusing on narratives of smallness by various actors with whom we engaged during fieldwork, we demonstrate how smallness, islandness, and (im)mobilizing policies intersect at the EU’s external border. In addition, and in order to contribute to decolonial perspectives within Island Studies, we reflect on our role in (un)making smallness. We discuss our understandings of smallness against the backdrop of our empirical material and scholarly debates, and, in so doing, avoid the reproduction of universal understandings. In this vein, we argue for the deconstruction of simplified interpretations of smallness and claim that smallness must be viewed as a relational concept.

Racial classification is relational, and it is constructed and contested as both an identity and as an ascribed category. In this three-part dissertation, I examine racial classification in São Paulo, Brazil, and argue that we can leverage survey data on racial classification to reach a more nuanced understanding of racial boundaries.Paper 1: Because racial classification is relational, we must examine both sides of the relationship, and yet most studies on ascription do not consider the ways in which the ascriber’s traits matter for classificatory outcomes. Using a quasi-experimental design, I examine how statuses of both the classifier and of the person being classified matter for racial attribution. I find that high-status biographies paired with a racially ambiguous face have a higher likelihood of white (versus pardo) racial attribution. I also find that educational achievement is significantly predictive of seeing whiteness in others—irrespective of the phenotype, self-identification, or the social status of the person being classified.Paper 2: Drawing on a large-scale survey linked to census-tract data, I examine how classification can operate asymmetrically across different racial boundaries. I compare the effects of various individual-level and neighborhood-level traits on the chances of having one’s racial identity contested by an observer. I show that social status does not have a uniform effect, mattering greatly for the boundary between white and pardo, and much less for the boundary between pardo and black. I also find that individuals living in richer or more educated neighborhoods—even when controlling for individual status—are more likely to be whitened, and less likely to have their white identities challenged.Paper 3: In this paper, I demonstrate how we can leverage racial mismatch data to study the everyday impact of institutions (in this case, the police) on individual racial identity. With a combination of survey and census data, I show how self-reported contact with the police in the twelve months prior to the survey is associated with a lower chance of identifying as white, even when controlling for individual status and observed race. I also show how neighborhood characteristics can further shape racial identity: Proximity to a favela, the neighborhood rate of economically motivated crime, and the racial makeup of the neighborhood all have separate and independent effects on racial identity.

Children’s movies often provide messages about morally appropriate and inappropriate conduct. In two studies, we draw on Moral Foundations Theory (MFT) to derive predictions about actual depictions of morality, and people’s preferences for different moral depictions, within children’s movies. According to MFT, people’s moral concerns include individualizing foundations of care and fairness and binding foundations of loyalty, authority, and sanctity. Prior work reveals that although there are political differences in the endorsement of these two broad categories—whereby stronger political conservatism predicts stronger binding concerns and weaker individualizing concerns—there nonetheless is broad agreement across political identity in the importance of individualizing concerns. We therefore predicted that heroes would value individualizing foundations more than villains, and that despite political differences in preferences for moral messages, there would be more agreement in the importance of messages promoting individualizing concerns. In Study 1, we coded heroes and villains from popular children’s movies for their valuation of moral foundations. Heroes valued individualizing concerns more, and binding concerns less, than villains did. Participants in Study 2 considered moral dilemmas faced by children’s movie characters, and rated their preferences for resolutions that promoted either individualizing or binding foundations. Although liberals preferred individualizing-promoting resolutions and conservatives preferred binding-promoting resolutions, there was stronger agreement across political identity in the importance of individualizing concerns. Despite political differences in moral preferences, popular depictions of children’s movie characters and people’s self-reported moral endorsement suggest a shared belief in the importance of the individualizing moral virtues of care and fairness.Movies are often infused with moral messages. From their exploration of overarching themes, their ascription of particular traits to heroic and villainous characters, and their resolution of pivotal moral dilemmas, movies provide viewers with depictions of morally virtuous (and morally suspect) behavior. Moral messaging in children’s movies is of particular importance, since it is targeted at an audience for which morality is actively developing. What moral messages do filmmakers (and consumers, including parents) want children’s movies to depict? Are these preferences related to people’s political identity? And what are the actual moral depictions presented in movies? In the present two studies, we draw on an influential theory of moral judgment—Moral Foundations Theory—to develop and test predictions about the depiction of morality in children’s movies.

Islamic law is primarily based on the Qur’an and the Sunnah of the Prophet (s.a.w). Due to the changes in place and time, there are occasions where new cases may not have clear and direct principles from the Qur’an and the Sunnah of the Prophet (s.a.w). Accordingly, solutions for new cases require the exercise of ijtihad and application of fatwa in establishing new rulings. This study deals with selected maslahah based fatwas on issues relating to family law in Malaysia. The study is undertaken in order to provide an overview on the issuance of maslahah based fatwa relating to family law issues, so that sound new rulings could be established for the benefit of the whole nation. Focus is made on fatwas that have been issued relating to child marriages, legitimacy of children and ascription of paternity, jointly acquired property and suckling relationships. In Malaysia, family matters fall under the jurisdiction of the state. Therefore, if a new case arises and it requires a legal opinion, a State based fatwa will be issued. The study adopts a qualitative research methodology based on available library-based materials. State fatwas are also referred to and examined. Finally, the article suggests improvements to the exercise of ijtihad and the issuance of fatwa in Malaysia.

Direct-to-consumer (DTC) DNA tests that trace ancestral heritage are a popular way for U.S. Americans to discover information about their ethnic history. To address this phenomenon, we analyze inte...

This study draws on institutional theory to examine the role of institutional environments in the formation of entrepreneurial venture creation decision among university students. The aim was to determine how the institutional context influences individual entrepreneurial capability, and mindset for entrepreneurial career. We adopted an exploratory qualitative approach, using a combination of purposive and snowballing sampling techniques. A total of 30 interviews were conducted among university students, and stakeholders across three geopolitical zones in Nigeria. The findings reveal that prevailing societal values and norms have significant influence on entrepreneurial mindset among the youth. The majority of student respondents ascribe high social values and preferences for career opportunities in the formal sectors, rather than an active interest in launching new ventures. In addition, respondents report high uncertainty avoidance, concern for class structure, job security and ascription orientation, all of which impact the cognitive frame and mindset for entrepreneurial career.

The growing awareness of environmental issues can be linked to the demand for green transport innovations. Consumer behavior studies have pointed to the importance of consumer innovativeness (CI) and green perceptions in the adoption of green innovations. The purpose of this paper is to identify how users and nonusers of shared micromobility perceive the greenness of shared e-bikes and e-scooters and how CI affects shared microvehicle adoption. The paper also analyses the relationships between green perceptions and environmental referent cognitions—biospheric values, environmental knowledge, ascription of responsibility, and environmental attitudes. Shared e-bike and e-scooter users and nonusers in Copenhagen and Stockholm were surveyed using an online questionnaire. Results revealed that users consider themselves innovative and perceive the shared microvehicles as relatively green, while nonusers do not. When comparing users, CI and green perceptions relate to shared e-bike use, but notably, only CI is linked to shared e-scooter use. The results also show that environmental knowledge and environmental attitudes are related to green perceptions. The practical and theoretical implications of the results are discussed. (Less)

El escritor Antonio Ferrer del Río (1814-1872) ha sido considerado tradicionalmente como un exponente paradigmático de la historiografía progresista por sus obras dedicadas a las Comunidades de Castilla y al reinado de Carlos III. Sin embargo, en el marco de las recientes aportaciones sobre culturas políticas liberales y las relaciones entre nacionalismo y religión en España, se hace necesario revisar esta adscripción ideológica. Un análisis que vaya más allá de las etiquetas simplificadoras revela, en cambio, la complejidad de la aportación de este historiador. Para ello, se ha recurrido a la correspondencia que mantuvo con los archiveros Manuel y Pròsper de Bofarull y a otras producciones menos conocidas, además de sus publicaciones en prensa. Así pues, a través de la contextualización de este material se revela un liberalismo cambiante, que a principios del régimen isabelino se situaba cercano al moderantismo, para luego evolucionar hacia posturas abiertamente progresistas. La rehabilitación historiográfica que este autor emprendió del reformismo dieciochesco ofrece una oportunidad para ahondar en las contradicciones y límites del liberalismo católico hispánico. The writer Antonio Ferrer del Río (1814-1872) has traditionally been considered a paradigmatic exponent of progressive historiography for his works dedicated to the Communities of Castile and the reign of Charles III of Spain. However, in the light of recent contributions on liberal political cultures and the relations between nationalism and religion in Spain, this ideological ascription needs to be reviewed. Analysis that sets aside oversimplified labels will give us greater insight into the complexity of the historian’s contribution. Sources include his correspondence with the archivists Manuel and Pròsper de Bofarull, and other lesser-known works he wrote, in addition to his publications in the press. Their contextualization reveals a changing attitude towards liberalism, which at the beginning of the reign of Isabella II was close to Moderantism, and then evolved towards openly progressive positions. The historiographical rehabilitation of eighteenth-century reformism undertaken by this author offers an opportunity to probe the contradictions and limits of Hispanic catholic liberalism. Este trabajo forma parte del proyecto de investigación «Tradición y originalidad en la cultura humanística de Indias. Géneros, paratextos y traducciones en el mundo atlántico (siglos XVI-XVII)» (FFI2017-87858-P).

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate factors affecting Vietnamese farmer's intention toward organic agricultural production based on research model integrating theories: theory of planned behavior (TPB) and norm activation model (NAM).Design/methodology/approachAfter in-depth interviews with 5 agricultural researchers and 5 farmers, the authors determined the official research model and built a complete survey. Data were collected from 318 farmers in the Hanoi, Vietnam by directly survey. Statistical methods, such as Cronbach's alpha analysis, exploratory factor analysis (EFA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and structural equation modeling (SEM), were used to analyze the data.FindingsThis paper shows that attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control and personal norm were significantly related to intention of the farmers; awareness of consequences was positively related to ascription of responsibility, personal norm, attitude and subjective norms; ascription of responsibility has a positive relationship with personal norm. The TPB-NAM integration model is proven to be superior to the original TPB model when studying factors affecting Vietnamese farmer's intention toward organic agricultural production.Research limitations/implicationsThe main limitation of this paper is that the sampling method is not representative for the whole country and just stops at researching the intentions of farmers without understanding the practices of organic agricultural production.Practical implicationsThe findings indicate that state management agencies in Vietnam need to pay attention to raise awareness among farmers about the role of organic farming, communicate to farmers through different channels about the benefits of organic farming compared to conventional agriculture and form information spillover groups between farmers who have produced organic agriculture and have not yet produced organic agriculture.Originality/valueThis paper contributes to the existing literature by focusing on integrating TPB and NAM when understanding farmers' intention toward organic agricultural production in Vietnam. This integrated model has proven the suitability of combining two approaches, a rational approach and an ethical approach, when studying farmer intentions.

The paradox of rule-following that Saul Kripke finds in Wittgenstein’s Philosophical Investigations purports to show that words and thoughts have no content—that there is no intentionality. This paper refutes the paradox with a dilemma. Intentional states are posited in rational explanations, which use propositional attitudes to explain actions and thoughts. Depending on which of the two plausible views of rational explanation is right, either: the paradox is mistaken about the a priori requirements for content; or, a fatal flaw in content ascription alleged by the paradox is no flaw at all, rather a necessary component of the proper method of propositional-attitude ascription. On either lemma, rational explanation defuses the paradox.

With the rapid global expansion of dockless shared bicycles, disorderly parking has not only generated convenience to users but also negative consequences to enterprises and urban management. We proposed an integrated model and recruited 1722 participants from diverse professions and geographic locations in China, examining the influence of individual and social environmental factors on orderly parking behavior. It was shown that descriptive social norms played an important role in shaping user’s attitudes toward orderly parking directly and indirectly via personal norms, and thus influence the behavioral intention of orderly parking. Cultural tightness-looseness further moderated the effect of descriptive social norms. At the individual level, antecedents of personal norms (moral awareness, awareness of consequences, and ascription of responsibility) were investigated based on Norm Activation Model. This study indicates that descriptive social norms can act as a complimentary policy and regulations of dockless bike-sharing, which provides valuable insights on urban operation and policy making concerning shared bicycles.

This qualitative study conducted in Malaysia’s Belum-Temengor Forest Reserve applies the concept of indigeneity as a social construct to examine status ascription by two competing groups: the Orang...

The paper deals with linguo-pragmatic and semantic-stylistic characteristics of the English-online movie review. Internet communication provides a fertile ground for the development of the modern genre studies due to the emergence and development of digital genres, or Internet genres. The amateur online movie review is one of the most widespread Internet genres due to its high degree of the audience-oriented intention, focus on the wide range of readers, as well as the dialogical nature of communication. The aim of this paper is to reveal and systematize pragmatic and stylistic parameters of the English amateur online movie review. The empirical study is based upon the movie reviews taken from the IMDb website. The analysis of online movie reviews has revealed that their pragmatic function is determined by the use of the wide range of linguistic and stylistic evaluative means. In most cases the ascription of explicit evaluative characteristics to the film and its components in the text of the amateur online movie review is done with the help of the evaluative language. The important finding is that the creation of perlocutionary effect and the attribution of dialogization and intimization to the speech act are created by the use of personal pronouns of the first and second person singular, imperatives, appeals, question-and-answer structure. We have come to the conclusion that various lexical and syntactic means of expressiveness belong to stylistic markers of online movie review carrying evaluative, emotional and emphatic connotations. All the analysis conducted allows us to conclude that online movie review beside the initial function of informing also performs perlocutionary force.

Malaysia, also known as a food haven, is currently facing an excessive food waste problem which poses a threat to the environment. The objective of this research is to study the factors that affect the behavioral intention of Malaysians to reduce food waste. This study employs the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and the Norm Activation Model (NAM) to better understand the behavioral intention of Malaysians toward reducing food waste. A cross-sectional study was conducted, using 352 self-administered survey questionnaires. Data collected were analyzed through PLS-SEM analysis. The results show that awareness of consequences (AC) and ascription of responsibility (AR) influence personal norms, while attitude, perceived behavioral control, and personal norms (PN) have significant effect on behavioral intention (BI) to reduce food waste. Furthermore, PN partially mediates the relationship between AC and BI as well as AR and BI. This study offers critical insights which will benefit the Malaysian Government, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), and other related parties in recognizing factors influencing the intention to reduce food waste which can be adopted to develop practical solutions to curb food waste in Malaysia.Implications: This study offers critical insights to the Malaysian Government, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and other related parties in recognizing factors influencing the intention to reduce food waste which can be adopted to develop practical solutions to curb food waste in Malaysia.

Many accidents happen on roads due to the risky behaviour of drivers including speeding. The rate of fatalities and injuries is high in those accidents where speeding is the reason for the accident. This study aims to identify the significant predictors of drivers’ speeding behaviour considering the theoretical background of the Norm-Activation Model (NAM) theory. The social, cultural, and road environment-related factors were also considered in the design of the questionnaire. This survey was conducted in Lahore city and 556 usable samples were collected. A factor analysis was conducted to confirm the association of observed variables with their latent variables according to NAM theory. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) resulted in factors of personal speeding traits, the effectiveness of traffic enforcements, speeding propensity, situational constraints, drivers’ compliance with speed limits, social and environmental influence. The results of Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) revealed that driver’s Awareness of the Consequences (AC), the Ascription of Responsibility (AR) of behavioural outcomes, and compliance with speed limits are good predictors of Personal Norms (PN) (R2 = 0.62). The factors of personal speeding traits, situational constraints, personal norms, and social and environmental influence have significant correlations with drivers’ speeding propensity (R2 = 0.36). The PN, effectiveness of traffic enforcements, compliance with speed limits, and speeding propensity factors are a direct predictor of drivers’ speeding behaviour (R2 = 0.21). These results implicate that drivers’ ability to comply with speed limits and present traffic enforcements are effective in controlling speedy drivers. However, different situations, specific personality attributes, road driving environment, and culture have a positive influence on speeding propensity.

This article examines the meaning and the development of the terms used to introduce baraitot transmitted by amoraim in the Bavli: “Tannei Rav X.” Why are these baraitot not introduced with the more usual terms used for citing a baraita, “tanya” and “tannu rabbanan?” I will argue that the term “tannei Rav X” was created in the generations that followed the named amora, as an alternative to the usual citation formula employed by the sage himself when he first quoted the baraita. A sage later to Rav X (or the “stam”) who wished to refer to a baraita quoted earlier by Rav X, used the term “tannei Rav X” to do so. These baraitot (around 80%) have parallels in tannaitic compositions or in the Yerushalmi. This finding bears additional weight on the question of the origins of the terminology used to quote baraitot in the Bavli.

Not all probability ascriptions that appear in scientific theories describe chances. There is a question about whether probability ascriptions in non-fundamental sciences, such as those found in evolutionary biology and statistical mechanics, describe chances in deterministic worlds and about whether there could be any chances in deterministic worlds. Recent debate over whether chance is compatible with determinism has unearthed two strategies for arguing about whether a probability ascription describes chance—that is, to speak metaphorically, two different strategies for figuring out where the chances are: find the chances by focusing on chance’s explanatory role or find the chances by focusing on chance’s predictive role. These two strategies tend to yield conflicting results about where the chances are, and debate over which strategy is appropriate tends to end in stalemate. After discussing these two strategies, I consider a new view of chance’s explanatory role. I argue that one theoretical advantage of this new view is that allows us to make progress on the question of where the chances are by providing a principled way of determining which probability ascriptions describe chances. From the vantage of this new view, the correct application of both strategies involves figuring out where the chances are by figuring out where the probabilistic scientific explanations are and what those explanations are like.

I investigate: (1) to what extent do folk ascriptions of lying differ between casual and courtroom contexts? (2) to what extent does motive (reason) to lie influence ascriptions of trust, mental states, and lying judgments? (3) to what extent are lying judgments consistent with previous ascriptions of communicated content? Following the Supreme Court’s Bronston judgment, I expect: (1) averaged lying judgments to be similar in casual and courtroom contexts; (2) motive to lie to influence levels of trust, mental states ascriptions, and patterns of lying judgments; (3) retrospective judgments of lying, after being presented with the state of the world, to be inconsistent with previous judgments of communicated content: participants hold the protagonist responsible for content she did not communicate. I performed a survey experiment on the Qualtrics platform. Participants were recruited through Amazon Mechanical Turk (N = 630). I employed standard Likert scales and forced-choice questions. I found that: (1) average lying judgments are similar in casual and courtroom contexts; (2) motive to lie decreases trust ascription and increases lying judgment; (3) judgments of lying are inconsistent with previous judgments of communicated content: participants hold the protagonist responsible for content they did not communicate (effect size of the difference d = .69). Perjury ascriptions are inconsistent. The Supreme Court’s worries expressed in the Bronston judgment are well founded. This article helps reforming jury instructions in perjury cases.

This paper criticizes the role of intuition-based ascriptions of cognition that are closely related to the ascription of mind. This practice hinders the explication of a clear and stable target domain for the cognitive sciences. To move forward, the proposal is to cut the notion of cognition free from such ascriptions and the intuition-based judgments that drive them. Instead, cognition is reinterpreted and developed as a scientific concept that is tied to a material domain of research. In this reading, cognition becomes a changeable theoretical concept that can and must be adapted to the findings within this target domain. Taking humans as the best-established existing example of the relevant material target domain, this central case is extended to include all living systems. To clarify what it is about living systems that warrants their role as cognitive target domain, the new concept of cobolism is introduced as a complement to metabolism. Cobolism refers to the systematic ways in which each living system encompasses structures, processes and external events that maintain the fundamental metabolic processes that constitute the core of each living system. Cobolism is perfectly general, applies to bacterial and human cases alike, and provides a general format to describe wildly different cognitive organizations. It provides a clear target for the cognitive sciences to work on, turning them into what we can call the cognitive life sciences.