Filippo Cabras
Research title: Explanation in Psychology and Neuroscience
Research summary
Some philosophers and cognitive scientists believe that scientific explanation of the mind must involve reference to physical areas in the brain. Others offer explanations that abstract from physical/neural details and focus on functions. These two approaches to theorising are often hard to reconcile, as they rely on different conceptual categories, respectively: concepts belonging to the language of neuroscience and biology, and concepts belonging to the intentional sphere (beliefs, desires).
Grounded in case studies, my research intends to show that both varieties of explanation are valuable because they provide different kinds of scientific understanding. Crucially, I wish to show that scientific understanding is more closely tied to the questions, goals, tools and practices of researchers than previously appreciated.
