NDLI: Explanation and description in computational neuroscience

Content Provider	Springer Nature Link
Author	Kaplan, David Michael
Copyright Year	2011
Abstract	The central aim of this paper is to shed light on the nature of explanation in computational neuroscience. I argue that computational models in this domain possess explanatory force to the extent that they describe the mechanisms responsible for producing a given phenomenon—paralleling how other mechanistic models explain. Conceiving computational explanation as a species of mechanistic explanation affords an important distinction between computational models that play genuine explanatory roles and those that merely provide accurate descriptions or predictions of phenomena. It also serves to clarify the pattern of model refinement and elaboration undertaken by computational neuroscientists.
Starting Page	339
Ending Page	373
Page Count	35
File Format	PDF
ISSN	00397857
Journal	Synthese
Volume Number	183
Issue Number	3
e-ISSN	15730964
Language	English
Publisher	Springer Netherlands
Publisher Date	2011-07-05
Publisher Place	Dordrecht
Access Restriction	One Nation One Subscription (ONOS)
Subject Keyword	Explanation Mechanism Computational models Computational neuroscience Epistemology Logic Philosophy of Science Metaphysics Philosophy of Language
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Article
Subject	Philosophy Social Sciences

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Explanation and description in computational neuroscience