Cognitive Ontology
Cognitive Ontology
The search for the 'furniture of the mind' has acquired added impetus with the rise of new technologies to study the brain and identify its main structures and processes. Philosophers and scientists are increasingly concerned to understand the ways in which psychological functions relate to brain structures. Meanwhile, the taxonomic practices of cognitive scientists are coming under increased scrutiny, as researchers ask which of them identify the real kinds of cognition and which are mere vestiges of folk psychology. Muhammad Ali Khalidi present a naturalistic account of 'real kinds' to validate some central taxonomic categories in the cognitive domain, including concepts, episodic memory, innateness, domain specificity, and cognitive bias. He argues that cognitive kinds are often individuated relationally, with reference to the environment and etiology of the thinking subject, whereas neural kinds tend to be individuated intrinsically, resulting in crosscutting relationships among cognitive and neural categories.
- Closely examines case studies of theoretical constructs in the cognitive sciences, such as concepts, episodic memory, innateness, and cognitive bias
- Proposes a new understanding of the nature of cognitive categories, and a novel account of the ways in which cognitive constructs relate to neural constructs
- Situates our knowledge of the cognitive domain in a broader non-reductionist metaphysical picture, including a causal account of natural (or real) kinds
Reviews & endorsements
'Cognitive Ontology works out a detailed metaphysics of psychological kinds and demonstrates its fruitfulness through a series of lucidly argued empirical studies. Few works can match its combined scope and insight. It promises to substantially broaden the terrain on which debates over cognitive ontology are staged.' Daniel Weiskopf, Georgia State University
'Muhammad Ali Khalidi's book, Cognitive Ontology: Taxonomic Practices in the Mind-Brain Sciences, offers a compelling non-reductionist approach to understanding the furniture of the mind: the 'real kinds' of cognitive science. This book is a thoughtful and timely addition to current debates over the ontology of the mind-brain sciences.' Zoe Drayson, The Brains Blog
'The book beautifully illustrates and advocates for philosophy's role in mapping the landscape of the mind. As philosophers, we contribute to this work not only by defending the legitimacy of cognitive kinds, but by advising and possibly even guiding the process by which decisions are made as to which kinds to privilege and which to dismiss, which to lump and which to split. Khalidi has provided an innovative and comprehensive framework for identifying cognitive kinds.' Sarah Robins, Mind & Language
'What should the ontological commitments of cognitive science be when it comes to broad cognitive categories, particularly those inherited from folk psychology? Khalidi's responses to this question offer the reader plenty to think about, whether or not you agree with his basic metaphysical commitments or with his conclusions about the particular categories he discusses.' Carrie Figdor, BJPS Review of Books
Product details
December 2022Adobe eBook Reader
9781009223638
0 pages
This ISBN is for an eBook version which is distributed on our behalf by a third party.
Table of Contents
- 1. Cognitive Kinds
- 2. Concepts
- 3. Innateness
- 4. Domain Specificity
- 5. Episodic Memory
- 6. Language-Thought Processes
- 7. Cognitive Heuristics and Biases (co-written with Joshua Mugg)
- 8. Body Dysmorphic Disorder (co-written with Amy MacKinnon)
- 9. Epilogue.
