The Car as Self

Aesthetic Judgement and Cognitive Extension in Automotive Design Over the Past Century

Authors

  • Aditi Choudhary University of Pittsburgh

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5195/pur.2025.134

Abstract

This essay explores the evolution of automotive design as a reflection of shifting philosophical notions of beauty, selfhood, and cognition. Drawing upon Immanuel Kant's theory of aesthetic judgment and the extended mind thesis, it contends that cars transcend their utilitarian function, serving as extensions of the human self. As both aesthetic objects and cognitive environments, automobiles embody the tension between form and function, autonomy and automation, while mirroring cultural and philosophical transformations. By interpreting car design as a dynamic manifestation of identity, this essay argues that cars are philosophical artifacts—embodied symbols of human thought, experience, and self-conception.

Author Biography

Aditi Choudhary, University of Pittsburgh

Aditi is a recent David C. Frederick Honors College graduate. Her research spans clinical applications of AI and philosophical inquiries into cognition and aesthetics in car design. In her free time, she enjoys carspotting (@aditi_likes_cars).

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Published

2025-11-03

How to Cite

Choudhary, A. (2025). The Car as Self: Aesthetic Judgement and Cognitive Extension in Automotive Design Over the Past Century. Pittsburgh Undergraduate Review, 4(2). https://doi.org/10.5195/pur.2025.134

Issue

Vol. 4 No. 2 (2025): Pittsburgh Undergraduate Review

Section

Research

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Copyright (c) 2025 Aditi Choudhary

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