Colombo, Matteo and Wright, Cory (2015) Explanatory Pluralism: An Unrewarding Prediction Error for Free Energy Theorists. [Preprint]
This is the latest version of this item.
PDF
BRCG_(MC,_CW).pdf Download (702kB) |
Abstract
Courtesy of its free energy formulation, the hierarchical predictive processing theory of the brain is often claimed to be a grand unifying theory. To test this claim, we consider a central case: reward-related activity of mesocorticolimbic dopaminergic (DA) systems. After reviewing the three most prominent hypotheses of DA activity—the anhedonia, incentive salience, and reward prediction error hypotheses—we conclude that current evidence vindicates explanatory pluralism, while leaves unwarranted the grand unifying claims of the predictive processing theory of the brain. More generally, we suggest that scientific progress in the cognitive sciences is unlikely to come in the form of a single overarching grand unifying theory.
Export/Citation: | EndNote | BibTeX | Dublin Core | ASCII/Text Citation (Chicago) | HTML Citation | OpenURL |
Social Networking: |
Item Type: | Preprint | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Creators: |
|
|||||||||
Keywords: | dopamine; explanatory pluralism; free energy; predictive processing; reduction; reward prediction error; unification | |||||||||
Subjects: | Specific Sciences > Cognitive Science General Issues > Explanation General Issues > Reductionism/Holism |
|||||||||
Depositing User: | Dr. Matteo Colombo | |||||||||
Date Deposited: | 27 Nov 2015 12:42 | |||||||||
Last Modified: | 27 Nov 2015 12:42 | |||||||||
Item ID: | 11783 | |||||||||
Subjects: | Specific Sciences > Cognitive Science General Issues > Explanation General Issues > Reductionism/Holism |
|||||||||
Date: | 24 May 2015 | |||||||||
URI: | https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/11783 |
Available Versions of this Item
- Explanatory Pluralism: An Unrewarding Prediction Error for Free Energy Theorists. (deposited 27 Nov 2015 12:42) [Currently Displayed]
Monthly Views for the past 3 years
Monthly Downloads for the past 3 years
Plum Analytics
Actions (login required)
View Item |