Not Every Thing Must Go

In The Entangled Brain, Pessoa criticizes standard approaches in cognitive neuroscience in which the brain is seen as a functionally decomposable, modular system with causal operations built up hierarchically. Instead, he advocates for an emergentist perspective whereby dynamic brain networks are associated, not with traditional psychological categories, but with behavioral functions characterized in evolutionary terms. Here, we raise a number of concerns with such a radical approach. We ultimately believe that although much revision to cognitive neuroscience is welcome and needed, Pessoa's more radical proposals may be counterproductive.

Automated summary

In "The Entangled Brain," Pessoa criticizes the standard approaches in cognitive neuroscience that view the brain as a modular system with hierarchical causal operations. Instead, he argues for an emergentist perspective that associates dynamic brain networks with behavioral functions in an evolutionary context. However, we raise concerns about the radical nature of Pessoa's proposals, believing that they may hinder progress in cognitive neuroscience rather than enhance it.