Wu, Yuyou and Jiang, Yihan
(2026)
Reclaiming Realism for Active Inference Models: An
Emergent Pattern Realist Account.
In: UNSPECIFIED.
Abstract
Active inference models have emerged as a promising approach in cognitive science,
yet the tenability of a realist interpretation remains contested. A growing number
of philosophers argue for instrumentalism, claiming that because these models rely
on heavy idealizations and permit explanatory pluralism, they cannot be veridical
descriptions of cognitive architecture. In this paper, we defend the tenability of re-
alism for active inference models. Kirchhoff, Kiverstein, and Robertson (2025) have
shown that the instrumentalist critiques rely on a “literalist” conception of scientific
realism. Endorsing this diagnosis while identifying its limitations, we develop a new
realist framework—Emergent Pattern Realism—which demonstrates that, for a model
to be worthy of realist commitment, it need not be a perfect mirror of reality; rather,
idealization and pluralism are perfectly consistent with capturing mind-independent,
weakly emergent patterns. In doing so, we demonstrate how a robust realism about
active inference models is philosophically defensible.
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Emergent Pattern Realist Account. (deposited 01 Jun 2026 12:33)
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