Abstract
My claim is that, if we understand the function of the brain in terms of the free energy principle, then the brain can explain the mind. Harkness discusses some objections to this claim, and proposes a cautious way of solidifying the explanatory potential of the free energy principle. In this response, I sketch a wide, diverse, and yet pleasingly Bayesian conception of scientific explanation. According to this conception, the free energy principle is already richly explanatory.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Open MIND |
| Subtitle of host publication | Philosophy and the Mind Sciences in the 21st Century |
| Editors | Thomas Metzinger, Jennifer M. Windt |
| Place of Publication | Cambridge MA USA |
| Publisher | The MIT Press |
| Pages | 761-766 |
| Number of pages | 5 |
| Volume | 1 |
| Edition | 1st |
| ISBN (Print) | 9780262034609 |
| Publication status | Published - 2016 |
Keywords
- Bayesian explanation
- Free-energy principle
- Functionalism
- Mechanistic explanation
- Philosophy of neuroscience
- Scientific explanation
- Scientific unification