{"product_id":"the-brain-in-theory-paperback","title":"The Brain, in Theory - Paperback","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eRomain Brette\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eWhy engineering and computational analogies are poorly suited to the study of biological cognition\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eMainstream 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 \u003ci\u003eThe Brain, In Theory\u003c\/i\u003e, 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 \u003ci\u003enot\u003c\/i\u003e a case of engineering. Unlike engineering, evolution has no predetermined goals, plans, or knowledge. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eBrette 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.\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eRomain Brette\u003c\/b\u003e is a neuroscientist at the Institute of Intelligent Systems and Robotics, Paris. He has worked on neuronal biophysics, neuroinformatics, auditory neuroscience, philosophy of neuroscience, and recently on the behavior and physiology of protists.\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 304\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.68 x 9.21 x 6.14 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e April 07, 2026\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53274364805427,"sku":"9780691281384","price":57.4,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0300\/5595\/6612\/files\/oqfLQlMIFI9780691281384.webp?v=1776896159","url":"https:\/\/www.vysn.com\/en-ca\/products\/the-brain-in-theory-paperback","provider":"VYSN","version":"1.0","type":"link"}