The Brain, in Theory - by Romain Brette (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

Why engineering and computational analogies are poorly suited to the study of biological cognition

Mainstream theories of the brain are often expressed through engineering concepts--computation, code, control, reverse-engineering, optimization. These theories cast the living organism as a machine and the brain as a computer. The fact that cognition is a biological phenomenon seems merely anecdotal; biology is considered just "implementation." In The Brain, In Theory, Romain Brette argues that the brain is not a "biological computer" because living organisms are not engineered. Engineering is the use of knowledge to solve technical problems, to build an artifact with a plan. But, Brette reminds us, Darwin's insight is precisely that evolution is not a case of engineering. Unlike engineering, evolution has no predetermined goals, plans, or knowledge.

Brette reviews the main theoretical frameworks for thinking about the brain, including computation, neural representations, information, and prediction, and finds them poorly suited to the study of biological cognition. He proposes understanding the brain as a self-organized, developing community of living entities rather than an optimized assembly of machine components. With this new perspective, Brette brings life back to the study of the brain and cognition.

Review Quotes

"A systematic analysis as to why the biological computer model of the brain is wrong. . . . To recognise the difference between humans and machines is essential for our wellbeing."---Gunnel Minett, Paradigm Explorer

"In this beautifully lucid, accessible account of the various theoretical approaches to the human brain, Brette forcefully argues that there is no reason to think that the brain is literally a computer. . . . I would recommend it to anyone interested in the philosophy or science of the mind."---Tim Crane, Times Literary Supplement

"Intense and intricate. . . . [The Brain, In Theory] does a double service to the neuroscience community: it challenges ossified theoretical frameworks that limit progress in the field, while also defying the narrow view that theory is merely an accessory to experimentation."---Àlex Gómez-Marín, Nature

About the Author

Romain Brette is a neuroscientist at the Institute of Intelligent Systems and Robotics, Paris. He has worked on neuronal biophysics, neuroinformatics, auditory neuroscience, philosophy of neuroscience, and recently on the behavior and physiology of protists.