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Representation Wars: Enacting an Armistice through Active Inference

Constant, Axel and Clark, Andy and Friston J, Karl (2019) Representation Wars: Enacting an Armistice through Active Inference. [Preprint]

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Abstract

Over the last 30 years, intellectualist and dynamicist positions in the philosophy of cognitive science have been arguing over whether neurocognitive processes should be viewed as representational or not. Major scientific and technological developments over the years have furnished both parties with ever more sophisticated conceptual weaponry. In recent years, an enactive generalisation of predictive processing – known as active inference – has been proposed as a unifying theory of brain functions. Since then, active inference has fuelled intellectualist and dynamicist campaigns. However, we believe that when diving into the formal details of active inference, one should be able to find a solution to the war; if not a peace treaty, surely an armistice of sort. Based on an analysis of these formal details, this paper shows how both intellectualist and dynamicist sensibilities can peacefully coexist within the new territory of active inference.


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Item Type: Preprint
Creators:
CreatorsEmailORCID
Constant, Axelaxel.constant.pruvost@gmail.com0000-0002-1547-8803
Clark, AndyAndy.Clark@ed.ac.uk
Friston J, Karlk.friston@ucl.ac.uk
Keywords: Representationalism, Embodiment, Active inference, Free energy principle, Philosophy of cognitive science
Subjects: Specific Sciences > Cognitive Science > Action
Specific Sciences > Neuroscience > Cognitive Neuroscience
Specific Sciences > Cognitive Science
Specific Sciences > Cognitive Science > Computation
Specific Sciences > Cognitive Science > Concepts and Representations
Specific Sciences > Cognitive Science > Learning and Memory
Specific Sciences > Cognitive Science > Perception
Specific Sciences > Probability/Statistics
Depositing User: Axel AC Constant
Date Deposited: 18 Nov 2019 16:34
Last Modified: 18 Nov 2019 16:34
Item ID: 16641
Subjects: Specific Sciences > Cognitive Science > Action
Specific Sciences > Neuroscience > Cognitive Neuroscience
Specific Sciences > Cognitive Science
Specific Sciences > Cognitive Science > Computation
Specific Sciences > Cognitive Science > Concepts and Representations
Specific Sciences > Cognitive Science > Learning and Memory
Specific Sciences > Cognitive Science > Perception
Specific Sciences > Probability/Statistics
Date: 15 June 2019
URI: https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/16641

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