Relational Equality for Extended Minds

This paper deals with the impact of the extended mind thesis on relational egalitarianism: the now-dominant view on (the politically relevant form of) equality within contemporary political philosophy. If proponents of the extended mind thesis are right, I argue, persons have two core interests that arise from their relationships with elements of the external environment: an interest in an environment supportive of cognition and an interest in extended mental authenticity. Acknowledging this requires relational egalitarians to be spatially-conscious, giving these interests due weight wherever they are engaged. This will not always change their conclusions, but there are a range of cases in which this form of relational egalitarianism yields unique insights. In this paper, I examine three: the relationship between landlords and tenants, cloud software and tech ecosystems, and forced transfers for dementia care.