Mechanism, explanatory pluralism and efficient coding explanation in neuroscience
There is a growing debate within the philosophical community about the unity or disunity of neuroscience. The new Mechanist philosophers claim that neuroscience exhibits a mosaic unity –one in which different explanatory models may contribute to the explanation of some explanandum phenomenon ? by se...
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| Format: | Online |
| Language: | eng |
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Universidad Nacional de Córdoba
2017
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| Online Access: | https://revistas.unc.edu.ar/index.php/racc/article/view/14650 |
| _version_ | 1811171413160099840 |
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| author | Barberis, Sergio Daniel |
| author_facet | Barberis, Sergio Daniel |
| author_sort | Barberis, Sergio Daniel |
| collection | Portal de Revistas |
| description | There is a growing debate within the philosophical community about the unity or disunity of neuroscience. The new Mechanist philosophers claim that neuroscience exhibits a mosaic unity –one in which different explanatory models may contribute to the explanation of some explanandum phenomenon ? by setting causal constraints on the space of possible mechanisms for ?. Non-mechanist philosophers frequently adopt some form or another of explanatory pluralism. In this paper I argue, first, that Mechanism is compatible with a popular version of explanatory pluralism, which I call causally restricted pluralism. Then, I present a liberalized version of explanatory pluralism –one according to which there are models in neuroscience that are explanatory of some phenomenon ? but that do not set any causal constraint on the space of possible mechanisms for ?. Finally, I argue that there is at least one pattern of explanation in neuroscience –namely, efficient coding explanation– that is better accounted for by liberal pluralism. |
| format | Online |
| id | oai:ojs.revistas.unc.edu.ar:article-14650 |
| institution | Universidad Nacional de Cordoba |
| language | eng |
| publishDate | 2017 |
| publisher | Universidad Nacional de Córdoba |
| record_format | ojs |
| spelling | oai:ojs.revistas.unc.edu.ar:article-146502019-06-05T15:21:02Z Mechanism, explanatory pluralism and efficient coding explanation in neuroscience Mecanicismo, Pluralismo Explicativo y Explicación de Codificación Eficiente en Neurociencia Barberis, Sergio Daniel mecanicismo unidad de la ciencia pluralismo explicativo causalidad explicación de codificación eficiente mechanism unity of science explanatory pluralism causal explanation efficient coding explanation There is a growing debate within the philosophical community about the unity or disunity of neuroscience. The new Mechanist philosophers claim that neuroscience exhibits a mosaic unity –one in which different explanatory models may contribute to the explanation of some explanandum phenomenon ? by setting causal constraints on the space of possible mechanisms for ?. Non-mechanist philosophers frequently adopt some form or another of explanatory pluralism. In this paper I argue, first, that Mechanism is compatible with a popular version of explanatory pluralism, which I call causally restricted pluralism. Then, I present a liberalized version of explanatory pluralism –one according to which there are models in neuroscience that are explanatory of some phenomenon ? but that do not set any causal constraint on the space of possible mechanisms for ?. Finally, I argue that there is at least one pattern of explanation in neuroscience –namely, efficient coding explanation– that is better accounted for by liberal pluralism. Hay un debate creciente en la comunidad filosófica acerca de la unidad y la diversidad de la explicación en neurociencia. La nueva filosofía mecanicista sostiene que la neurociencia exhibe una unidad de mosaico, según la cual los modelos provenientes de múltiples campos científicos contribuyen a la explicación mecanicista colectiva de un fenómeno explanandum ? mediante el establecimiento de restricciones causales sobre el espacio de mecanismos posibles para ?. Los filósofos no mecanicistas admiten la relevancia (incluso la centralidad) de la investigación mecanicista, pero enfatizan la pluralidad y la diversidad de los programas de explicación en neurociencia. En este artículo argumento, en primer lugar, que el tipo de pluralismo explicativo que muchos filósofos no mecanicistas defienden —lo que llamo el “pluralismo causalmente restringido”— no es una alternativa genuina al mecanicismo. Luego, presento una interpretación liberalizada del pluralismo explicativo, según la cual existen modelos en neurociencia que contribuyen a la explicación colectiva de un fenómeno ? pero que no pretenden establecer restricciones causales sobre el espacio de mecanismos posibles para ?. Finalmente, reseño un programa de explicación en neurociencia, a saber, la explicación de codificación eficiente, que se entiende de manera más adecuada mediante la interpretación liberalizada del pluralismo. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba 2017-04-03 info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion application/pdf https://revistas.unc.edu.ar/index.php/racc/article/view/14650 10.32348/1852.4206.v9.n1.14650 Argentinean Journal of Behavioral Sciences; Vol. 9 No. 1 (2017): Revista Argentina de Ciencias del Comportamiento; 9-18 Revista Argentina de Ciencias del Comportamiento; Vol. 9 Núm. 1 (2017): Revista Argentina de Ciencias del Comportamiento; 9-18 1852-4206 10.32348/1852.4206.v9.n1 eng https://revistas.unc.edu.ar/index.php/racc/article/view/14650/Barberis2017 Derechos de autor 2017 Sergio Daniel Barberis |
| spellingShingle | mecanicismo unidad de la ciencia pluralismo explicativo causalidad explicación de codificación eficiente mechanism unity of science explanatory pluralism causal explanation efficient coding explanation Barberis, Sergio Daniel Mechanism, explanatory pluralism and efficient coding explanation in neuroscience |
| title | Mechanism, explanatory pluralism and efficient coding explanation in neuroscience |
| title_alt | Mecanicismo, Pluralismo Explicativo y Explicación de Codificación Eficiente en Neurociencia |
| title_full | Mechanism, explanatory pluralism and efficient coding explanation in neuroscience |
| title_fullStr | Mechanism, explanatory pluralism and efficient coding explanation in neuroscience |
| title_full_unstemmed | Mechanism, explanatory pluralism and efficient coding explanation in neuroscience |
| title_short | Mechanism, explanatory pluralism and efficient coding explanation in neuroscience |
| title_sort | mechanism explanatory pluralism and efficient coding explanation in neuroscience |
| topic | mecanicismo unidad de la ciencia pluralismo explicativo causalidad explicación de codificación eficiente mechanism unity of science explanatory pluralism causal explanation efficient coding explanation |
| topic_facet | mecanicismo unidad de la ciencia pluralismo explicativo causalidad explicación de codificación eficiente mechanism unity of science explanatory pluralism causal explanation efficient coding explanation |
| url | https://revistas.unc.edu.ar/index.php/racc/article/view/14650 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT barberissergiodaniel mechanismexplanatorypluralismandefficientcodingexplanationinneuroscience AT barberissergiodaniel mecanicismopluralismoexplicativoyexplicaciondecodificacioneficienteenneurociencia |