Abstract: A cognitive approach Scientific activity is model-based, meaning that scientists use (mathematical, physical, phenomenological, etc.,) models to represent the features of their target systems. There is a philosophical question: what grounds do we have to assume that scientific models truthfully/veridically represent the structure of the world. The talk offers a possible reply by developing a cognitive account of scientific model-making under the rubric of the Free Energy Principle (FEP), which lies at the centre of a flourishing research program in computational neuroscience.

Bio: Majid D. Beni is an Asst. Prof. of the Department of Philosophy at METU/ODTÜ. His work is in the philosophy of science and cognitive sciences. Amongst other things, he has developed a COGNITIVE version of STRUCTURAL REALISM and a STRUCTURAL REALIST theory of SELF.