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Gualtiero Piccinini
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Neurocognitive Mechanisms: Explaining Biological Cognition

by Gualtiero Piccinini (Author)

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In Neurocognitive Mechanisms Gualtiero Piccinini presents the most systematic, rigorous, and comprehensive philosophical defence to date of the computational theory of cognition. His view posits that cognition involves neural computation within multilevel neurocognitive mechanisms, and includes novel ideas about ontology, functions, neural representation, neural computation, and consciousness. He begins by defending an ontologically egalitarian account of composition and realization, according to which all levels are equally real. He then explicates multiple realizability and mechanisms within this ontologically egalitarian framework, defends a goal-contribution account of teleological functions, and defends a mechanistic version of functionalism. This provides the foundation for a mechanistic account of computation, which in turn clarifies the ways in which the computational theory of cognition is a multilevel mechanistic theory supported by contemporary cognitive neuroscience.

Piccinini argues that cognition is computational at least in a generic sense. He defends the computational theory of cognition from standard objections, yet also rebuts putative a priori arguments. He contends that the typical vehicles of neural computations are representations, and that, contrary to the received view, the representations posited by the computational theory of cognition are observable and manipulatable in the laboratory. He also contends that neural computations are neither digital nor analog; instead, neural computations are sui generis. He concludes by investigating the relation between computation and consciousness, suggesting that consciousness may be a functional phenomenon without being computational in nature. This book will be of interest to philosophers of cognitive science as well as neuroscientists.
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  1. ISBN-10
    0198866283
  2. ISBN-13
    978-0198866282
  3. Publisher
    Oxford University Press
  4. Publication date
    November 24, 2020
  5. Language
    English
  6. Dimensions
    9.3 x 1.2 x 6.5 inches
  7. Print length
    416 pages
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Gualtiero Piccinini, Curators' Distinguished Professor of Philosophy and Associate Director of the Center for Neurodynamics, University of Missouri-St. Louis

Gualtiero Piccinini is Curators' Distinguished Professor of Philosophy and Associate Director of the Center for Neurodynamics at the University of Missouri - St. Louis. In 2014, he received the Herbert A. Simon Award from the International Association for Computing and Philosophy. In 2018, he received the K. Jon Barwise Prize from the American Philosophical Association. In 2019, he received the Chancellor's Award for Research and Creativity from University of Missouri - St. Louis. His publications include Physical Computation: A Mechanistic Account (Oxford University Press, 2015).

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Oxford University Press
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ November 24, 2020
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 416 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0198866283
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0198866282
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.74 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 9.3 x 1.2 x 6.5 inches
  • Best Sellers Rank: #5,362,150 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

About the author

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Gualtiero Piccinini

Gualtiero Piccinini

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Gualtiero Piccinini is Curators' Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at the University of Missouri. In 2014, he received the Herbert A. Simon Award from the International Association for Computing and Philosophy. In 2018, he received the K. Jon Barwise Prize from the American Philosophical Association. In 2019, he received the Chancellor's Award for Research and Creativity from University of Missouri - St. Louis. His publications include Physical Computation: A Mechanistic Account (OUP 2015), Neurocognitive Mechanisms: Explaining Biological Cognition (OUP 2020), The Computational Theory of Mind (with Matteo Colombo, CUP 2023), and The Physical Signature of Computation (with Neal G. Anderson, OUP 2024).