Barberis, Sergio Daniel (2018) Cajal’s Law of Dynamic Polarization: Mechanism and Design. Philosophies, 3 (11). pp. 1-15. ISSN 2409-9287

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Abstract

Santiago Ramón y Cajal, the primary architect of the neuron doctrine and the law of dynamic polarization, is considered to be the founder of modern neuroscience. At the same time, many philosophers, historians, and neuroscientists agree that modern neuroscience embodies a mechanistic perspective on the explanation of the nervous system. In this paper, I review the extant mechanistic interpretation of Cajal’s contribution to modern neuroscience. Then, I argue that the extant mechanistic interpretation fails to capture the explanatory import of Cajal’s law of dynamic polarization. My claim is that the definitive formulation of Cajal’s law of dynamic polarization, despite its mechanistic inaccuracies, embodies a non-mechanistic pattern of reasoning (i.e., design explanation) that is an integral component of modern neuroscience.

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Item Type:	Published Article or Volume
Creators:	Creators Email ORCID Barberis, Sergio Daniel sbarberis@filo.uba.ar 0000-0002-5381-3772
Keywords:	Cajal, law of dynamic polarization, mechanism, utility, design
Depositing User:	Dr Sergio Barberis
Date Deposited:	17 Apr 2018 18:06
Last Modified:	17 Apr 2018 18:06
Item ID:	14568
Journal or Publication Title:	Philosophies
Publisher:	MDPI
Official URL:	http://www.mdpi.com/2409-9287/3/2/11
DOI or Unique Handle:	10.3390/philosophies3020011
Date:	16 April 2018
Page Range:	pp. 1-15
Volume:	3
Number:	11
ISSN:	2409-9287
URI:	https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/14568

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