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Perspectives on Neuroscience
Published on: July 31, 2007
Siren call of metaphor: subverting the proper task of neuroscience
1Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Texas at Austin, 1 University Station C0800, Austin TX, 78712-0238, USA. gwer1@mail.utexas.edu
Journal of Integrative Neuroscience
|September 15, 2004
Abstract:
Under the assumption that nervous systems form a distinct category among the objects in Nature, applying metaphors of psychological and behavioral science disciplines is flawed and invites confusion. Moreover, such practices obscure and detract from the primary task of Neurophysiology: to investigate the intrinsic properties of nervous systems, uncontaminated with concepts borrowed from other disciplines.
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