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Codes, functions, and causes: A critique of Brette's conceptual analysis of coding

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 November 2019

David Barack Open the ORCID record for David Barack [Opens in a new window]  and
Andrew Jaegle
David Barack
Affiliation:
Jerome L. Greene Science Center, Columbia University, New York, NY10027; DeepMind, LondonN1C 4AG, United Kingdom. dbarack@gmail.comdrewjaegle@google.comwww.deepmind.com
Andrew Jaegle
Affiliation:
Jerome L. Greene Science Center, Columbia University, New York, NY10027; DeepMind, LondonN1C 4AG, United Kingdom. dbarack@gmail.comdrewjaegle@google.comwww.deepmind.com
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Abstract

Brette argues that coding as a concept is inappropriate for explanations of neurocognitive phenomena. Here, we argue that Brette's conceptual analysis mischaracterizes the structure of causal claims in coding and other forms of analysis-by-decomposition. We argue that analyses of this form are permissible and conceptually coherent and offer essential tools for building and developing models of neurocognitive systems like the brain.

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Type
Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 42 , 2019 , e219
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Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2019

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