New Paper Published: "Aidification of the Self" – Rethinking Machine Consciousness Through Human-Robot 'Between-ness'

I am pleased to share that my latest paper has been published in Neuroscience of Consciousness as part of the Special Issue on "Aware and Alive: Embodied and Phenomenological Perspectives on Consciousness."

Rather than seeking a "self" within the internal mechanisms of an isolated machine, this paper argues that authentic self-consciousness is an emergent quality of the Aida (間)—the relational "in-between" shared among interacting agents. To shift the paradigm from solitary processing to shared reality, I propose the principle of "Aidification."

Here are the key points:

• The Limits of "Spoken Speech": Current humanoid robots merely simulate communication by statistically reproducing ready-made linguistic patterns ("spoken speech") without an underlying physical "felt sense" or subjective center.

• Rethinking Symbol Grounding: True referential grounding cannot be achieved in isolation; it requires finding a semantic position within language and anchoring it through communicative interaction in a shared world.

• The Trajectory from Hand to Face: While hands are visible instruments of action, the face is a phenomenological blind spot that requires the "gaze of the Other" to be fully integrated into the self-image as an object ("Me").

• Language as a "Cane for Thought": Much like a blind man's cane extends the body, language serves as a tool to navigate meaning space, where interactional resistance forces the system to reflexively model its own presence.

• Toward Symbiotic Intelligence: Aidification redefines intelligence as a quality that flourishes between humans and machines, rooted in the real-time co-creation of a shared, dynamic reality.

The full article is open access and can be retrieved here:

https://doi.org/10.1093/nc/niag032

Full Citation: Tanaka, S. (2026). Aidification of the self: a phenomenological approach to machine consciousness through human-robot 'between-ness'. Neuroscience of Consciousness, 2026(1), niag032.

Upcoming Book Announcement: "Body of Wisdom: The Embodied Dimensions of Life" (Cambridge University Press)

I am pleased to share that the official pages for my upcoming monograph, Body of Wisdom: The Embodied Dimensions of Life, are now live on the Cambridge University Press (CUP) website. The book is scheduled for official publication on November 3, 2026.

Thanks to the generous support of the JST-CREST grant program, I am very glad to announce that this book will be published as a full Open Access title. Upon its release in November, the digital version will be available to read and download for free worldwide via Cambridge Core (https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/body-of-wisdom/7E862C24E0A45EEFE36DB912A5F5E495).

In the meantime, the physical edition (Hardback and Paperback) is now available for pre-order, and you can review the book's full bibliographic details on the CUP Official Website (https://www.cambridge.org/jp/universitypress/subjects/psychology/cognition/body-wisdom-embodied-dimensions-life#description). I would be highly grateful if you could consider recommending it to your institutional library.

Why "Wisdom"?

As the subtitle, The Embodied Dimensions of Life, suggests, this book aims to reach beyond a purely cognitive account of human knowledge. It delves into the deeper, bodily dimensions of our lived existence—our life itself.

Human bodily experience is not merely an instrument for acquiring abstract data or objective information. Rather, our bodies serve as the foundational medium through which we grasp the world, engage with others, and navigate our existence. By exploring this deep connection, the book attempts to articulate not just "knowledge" in the traditional sense, but the tacit, lived "wisdom" that is inherently embedded in our being.

Readership

While offering a rigorous framework for researchers in phenomenology, embodied cognitive science, and the philosophy of mind, this book's scope extends well beyond theoretical philosophy. It is also written for practitioners in clinical fields, therapy, and various bodily practices (such as martial arts or performance arts) who wish to explore the somatic and philosophical foundations of tacit skill.

I look forward to sharing more updates as we approach the publication date this autumn. Thank you all for your continuous support!

New Publication on Narrative Embodiment in Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences

Following my post last June regarding my appointment to the editorial board of Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences, I am very pleased to announce that our collaborative research has now been officially published in this journal.

The paper is titled "Embodying the narrative self, narrating the embodied self" and was co-authored with Sotaro Shimada and Katsunori Miyahara. You can access the article here: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11097-026-10156-0

This work is a significant outcome of our ongoing JST-ANR research project, "Narrative Embodiment." In this paper, we explore the intricate intersections between the lived body and narrative identity, further developing the theoretical framework we have been cultivating within the project.

Building on my initial motivation to contribute to this journal as I joined its editorial committee, this publication represents a meaningful milestone for our team. I would like to express my gratitude to my co-authors and the vibrant research community for the stimulating discussions that shaped this work.