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A Pluralist Framework for the Philosophy of Social Neuroscience

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Neuroscience and Social Science

Abstract

The philosophy of neuroscience has been a dynamic field of research in the philosophy of science since the turn of the century. As a result of this activity, a new mechanistic philosophy has emerged as the dominant approach to explanation and scientific integration in neuroscience. Rather surprisingly, the philosophy of social neuroscience has remained an almost uncharted territory. In this chapter, we advance a pluralistic framework for that field. Our framework seeks to ground the proliferation of modeling approaches, explanatory styles, and integrative trends within social neuroscience. First, we highlight the plurality of modeling approaches pursued by social neuroscientists by reviewing the distinctive features of mechanistic models, dynamical models, computational models, and optimality models. Second, we reject unitary explanatory perspectives and emphasize the plurality of explanatory styles that can emerge from those modeling approaches, considering their contents and vehicles. As regards their content, we present two kinds of information a model may provide, namely, causal/compositional or noncausal/structural information. As regards their vehicles, we examine and illustrate different guiding representational ideals (e.g., precision, generality, and simplicity). Third, we turn to integrative trends in social neuroscience, assessing the prospects of inter-theoretical reduction, mechanistic mosaic unity, and multilevel integrative analysis. We contend that the pluralist framework we develop is an adequate approach to scientific modeling, explanation, and integration in social neuroscience. We additionally address how this pluralistic perspective may shed light on the intersection between the neural and the social realms, in a context of greater interdisciplinary collaboration between neuroscientists and social scientists.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    It can be pointed out that Craver [31] draws a distinction, not between phenomenological and theoretical models but between phenomenological and explanatory models. Theoretical enrichment, Craver would suggest, isn’t necessary nor sufficient for a model to be explanatory. Similarly, a phenomenological model may theoretically enrich the description of the explanandum, as can be the case of LISP-based computational models.

  2. 2.

    It should be noted that Weiskopf [33] understands cognitive models as a subtype of functional models. For reasons of clarity and considering the present context, we preferred to conflate both concepts.

  3. 3.

    We thank Warren TenHouten for bringing this issue to our attention.

  4. 4.

    We thank Warren Tenhouten for drawing our attention to these concerns.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Universidad de Buenos Aires (UBA), Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Sergio Daniel Barberis

  2. Agencia Nacional de Promoción Científica y Tecnológica (ANPCyT), Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Sergio Daniel Barberis

  3. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba (UNC), Córdoba, Argentina

    M. Itatí Branca

  4. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina

    M. Itatí Branca

  5. Instituto de Humanidades (UNC/CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina

    A. Nicolás Venturelli

Authors
  1. Sergio Daniel Barberis
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  2. M. Itatí Branca
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  3. A. Nicolás Venturelli
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Correspondence to Sergio Daniel Barberis .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Experimental Psychology and Neuroscience (LPEN), Institute of Cognitive and Translational Neuroscience (INCYT) INECO Foundation, Favaloro University, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Agustín Ibáñez

  2. Laboratory of Experimental Psychology and Neuroscience (LPEN), Institute of Cognitive and Translational Neuroscience (INCYT) INECO Foundation, Favaloro University, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Lucas Sedeño

  3. Laboratory of Experimental Psychology and Neuroscience (LPEN), Institute of Cognitive and Translational Neuroscience (INCYT) INECO Foundation, Favaloro University, Buenos Aires, Argentina

    Adolfo M. García

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Barberis, S.D., Itatí Branca, M., Nicolás Venturelli, A. (2017). A Pluralist Framework for the Philosophy of Social Neuroscience. In: Ibáñez, A., Sedeño, L., García, A. (eds) Neuroscience and Social Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-68421-5_21

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