The Brain, In Theory

Romain Brette

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The Brain, In Theory

Language: English

Published/Copyright: 2026

About this book

Why engineering and computational analogies are poorly suited to the study of biological cognition

Mainstream theories of the brain are often expressed through engineering concepts—computation, code, control, reverse-engineering, optimization. These theories cast the living organism as a machine and the brain as a computer. The fact that cognition is a biological phenomenon seems merely anecdotal; biology is considered just “implementation.” In The Brain, In Theory, Romain Brette argues that the brain is not a “biological computer” because living organisms are not engineered. Engineering is the use of knowledge to solve technical problems, to build an artifact with a plan. But, Brette reminds us, Darwin’s insight is precisely that evolution is not a case of engineering. Unlike engineering, evolution has no predetermined goals, plans, or knowledge.

Brette reviews the main theoretical frameworks for thinking about the brain, including computation, neural representations, information, and prediction, and finds them poorly suited to the study of biological cognition. He proposes understanding the brain as a self-organized, developing community of living entities rather than an optimized assembly of machine components. With this new perspective, Brette brings life back to the study of the brain and cognition.

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Frontmatter
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Contents
v

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Acknowledgments
ix

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1 Lifeless Brains
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The Brain, in Theory
1

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Computationalism
3

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Connectionism
5

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Bottom-Up Neuroscience
8

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Brains Beyond Engineering
9

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2 Life as We Know It
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What Is Life?
15

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Life Beyond Machines
23

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Multicellular Life
32

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Breathing Life into Brain Theory
44

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3 Brains from the Bottom Up
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Introduction
45

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The Myth of Data-Driven Science
48

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Living Beings Are Organized
52

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Brain, Body, and Environment
60

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Science Beyond Billiard-Ball Causality
64

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4 Biological Computers
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Introduction
69

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Programmable Machines
70

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Programs, Algorithms, Computations, and Beyond
77

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Behavior as Interaction
84

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Why Dynamics Is Not Computation
95

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Why Interaction Is Not Computation
98

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Neural Computation
101

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5 Neural Codes
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Introduction
107

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Codes or Correlates?
110

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Population Codes
117

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The Theoretical Problem with Neural Codes
124

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The Fundamental Incompleteness of Parametric Codes
129

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Structure in Neural Codes
134

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Why Representations?
138

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6 Information in the Brain
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Introduction
141

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What Is Information?
143

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Information by Reference
144

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Information as Difference
151

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Pragmatic Information
154

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Embodied Information
159

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Properties of Embodied Information
166

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How Information Informs
174

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7 Anticipation
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Introduction
179

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An Overview of Anticipatory Phenomena
181

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Action Based on Prediction
186

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Action to Meet Prediction
189

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Goals in Anticipation
195

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The Ladder of Anticipation
201

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Learning
206

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8 The Organization of Brain Processes
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Introduction
213

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Information Reductionism
214

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Neural Activity
224

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The Nature of Multicellularity
241

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9 Living Brains
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Brains Beyond Machines
252

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Cognitive Biological Systems
258

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Outlook
265

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References
269

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Index
289

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Publishing information

Pages and Images/Illustrations in book

eBook published on:

April 7, 2026

eBook ISBN:

9780691281391

Pages and Images/Illustrations in book

https://doi.org/10.1515/9780691281391

eBook ISBN: 9780691281391

Audience(s) for this book

For an expert adult audience, including professional development and academic research

Princeton University Press

The Brain, In Theory

Overview

About this book

Topics

Table of contents

Frontmatter

Contents

Acknowledgments

The Brain, in Theory

Computationalism

Connectionism

Bottom-Up Neuroscience

Brains Beyond Engineering

What Is Life?

Life Beyond Machines

Multicellular Life

Breathing Life into Brain Theory

Introduction

The Myth of Data-Driven Science

Living Beings Are Organized

Brain, Body, and Environment

Science Beyond Billiard-Ball Causality

Introduction

Programmable Machines

Programs, Algorithms, Computations, and Beyond

Behavior as Interaction

Why Dynamics Is Not Computation

Why Interaction Is Not Computation

Neural Computation

Introduction

Codes or Correlates?

Population Codes

The Theoretical Problem with Neural Codes

The Fundamental Incompleteness of Parametric Codes

Structure in Neural Codes

Why Representations?

Introduction

What Is Information?

Information by Reference

Information as Difference

Pragmatic Information

Embodied Information

Properties of Embodied Information

How Information Informs

Introduction

An Overview of Anticipatory Phenomena

Action Based on Prediction

Action to Meet Prediction

Goals in Anticipation

The Ladder of Anticipation

Learning

Introduction

Information Reductionism

Neural Activity

The Nature of Multicellularity

Brains Beyond Machines

Cognitive Biological Systems

Outlook

References

Index

Bibliographic data