Epistemological Issues in Cognitive Neuroscience
Alfredo Pereira Júnior
While the results of neuroscience research deeply influence many aspects of our lives, from the theoretical understanding of the biological basis of the mind to the clinical application of scientific research, the conceptual foundations of this field have received little attention. Empirical research has generated a large number of experimental results, but this knowledge has yet to be integrated into a convincing picture of how cognitive, affective, and motor processes are engendered and controlled by the brain. Limitations arise in part from the intrinsic difficulty of producing a unified theory of brain function.
This epistemological review of cognitive neuroscience was written during a Post-Doctoral Period at the Brain and Cognitive Sciences Department of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, during the second half of the 1990-1999 “Decade of the Brain”. It plays the role of defining some central questions raised by this exciting field, as well as organizing possible answers to the questions.
This book is also a historical register of the epistemological issues in the neurosciences raised at the very end of the XX century, serving as a reference for comparison with the advances obtained in the new millennium. These issues deserve the attention of contemporary neuroscientists, philosophers of science, and everyone concerned with interdisciplinary approaches to brain function.
- Livro digital em inglês
- 276 páginas
- 1ª edição brasileira, maio de 2026
- ISBN: 9786597997503
Summary
Foreword by João de Fernandes Teixeira
Preface
Introduction
Chapter 1 – The Interdisciplinary Nature of Cognitive Neuroscience
Chapter 2 – On the Characterization of Learning and Memory at the Cellular Level
Chapter 3 – Epistemological Aspects of the Investigation on Neuronal Codes
Chapter 4 – The Problem of Cortical Integration
Chapter 5 – The Distinction between Recognition and Representation
Chapter 6 – Brain Function and Intentionality
Chapter 7 – The Executive System and Biocomputation
Chapter 8 – Thinking Processes in the Context of Animal Cognition
Chapter 9 – Toward a Taxonomy of Consciousness
Chapter 10 – On the Neurobiological Basis of Natural Languages
Chapter 11 – Cognitive Neuroscience and the Mind-Brain Problem
Afterword
References
Biography Summary
Alfredo Pereira Júnior
Alfredo Pereira Jr. holds degrees in Philosophy and Administration, and a PhD. from the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP). He worked as a university professor at the São Paulo State University (UNESP), completed postdoctoral periods at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the Universities of Zurich, Copenhagen, Pavia, and London. During his academic career in the field of Philosophy of Science, he investigated the Theory of Self-Organization with a research group at the Center for Logic and Epistemology – UNICAMP; the scientific/philosophical work of Ludwig Boltzmann; the physiology of astroglial cells, and their role in mental functions.In the area of Public Administration, he discussed, with other authors, the Principles for Democratic Governance. Recently, he proposed a new science (Sentiomics, the study of our capacity to feel) and a new approach in Metaphysics (Qualiomics, which deals with consciously experienced qualities). He has published around 300 articles in qualified journals, and 9 books as author and/or organizer. He also enjoys fixing cars and antiques, playing drums, growing plants, reading detective stories, watching ‘doramas’ and communicating with friends in social media.
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