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The myth of the Bayesian brain.

Madhur Mangalam1

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The Bayesian brain hypothesis, while popular in cognitive neuroscience, faces criticism for being unfalsifiable and biologically implausible. This framework may be more metaphor than mechanism, lacking robust empirical support.

Keywords:
Bayesian brain hypothesisCognitive neuroscienceDynamic systems theoryEmbodied cognitionFree energy principlePhilosophy of neurosciencePredictive codingTheoretical neuroscienceUnfalsifiability

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Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Neuroscience
  • Computational Neuroscience

Background:

  • The Bayesian brain hypothesis posits that neural systems perform Bayesian inference.
  • It has become a dominant framework in cognitive neuroscience over the last 20 years.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To critically examine the claims and limitations of the Bayesian brain hypothesis.
  • To assess its status as a testable, biologically plausible mechanistic explanation versus a useful metaphor.

Main Methods:

  • Critical analysis of the Bayesian brain hypothesis's core tenets.
  • Examination of empirical support and biological plausibility.
  • Comparison with alternative theoretical frameworks.

Main Results:

  • The Bayesian brain hypothesis exhibits issues of unfalsifiability and biological implausibility.
  • Empirical support is inconsistent, and its flexibility allows post hoc model adjustments.
  • Alternative frameworks like dynamic systems theory offer explanations without probabilistic inference.

Conclusions:

  • The Bayesian brain hypothesis's persistence is attributed to mathematical elegance and metaphorical power, rather than strong empirical grounding.
  • Concerns exist regarding its explanatory power due to its adaptability to data.
  • Its role as a mechanistic explanation remains ambiguous.