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Related Experiment Video

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The Adventures of Fundi Intervention Based on the Cognitive and Emotional Processing in Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder Patients

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Abandoning the code metaphor is compatible with semiotic process.

Terrence W Deacon¹, Joanna Rączaszek-Leonardi²

¹Department of Anthropology, University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, CA94720deacon@berkeley.edu.

The Behavioral and Brain Sciences

|November 29, 2019

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

The coding metaphor is hindering brain and cognitive theories. Combining dynamical systems and semiotic frameworks offers a more productive alternative for understanding brain function.

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Area of Science:

Cognitive Science
Neuroscience
Philosophy of Mind

Background:

The prevalent "coding metaphor" in neuroscience and cognitive science posits that the brain processes information like a digital computer.
This metaphor, while historically influential, faces increasing criticism for its limitations in explaining complex brain functions and subjective experience.

Purpose of the Study:

To critically evaluate the utility of the coding metaphor in current brain and cognitive theories.
To propose an alternative theoretical framework for understanding brain and cognitive functioning.
To integrate insights from dynamical systems theory and C. S. Peirce's semiotic framework.

Main Methods:

Conceptual analysis of the "coding metaphor" in neuroscience and cognitive science.
Review of key principles from dynamical systems theory relevant to biological systems.
Examination of C. S. Peirce's semiotic framework, focusing on concepts of signs, interpretation, and dynamic interaction.

Main Results:

The "coding metaphor" is identified as a significant impediment to theoretical advancement in brain and cognitive sciences.
A synthesis of dynamical systems and Peircean semiotics offers a robust alternative perspective.
This integrated approach provides a framework for understanding the brain as a dynamic, meaning-making system.

Conclusions:

Abandoning the "coding metaphor" is crucial for developing more effective theories of brain and cognitive functioning.
The integration of dynamical systems and semiotics presents a promising avenue for future research.
This alternative framework can better account for the complex, context-dependent, and interpretive nature of cognition.