Postdoctoral Fellowship: Concepts of Information in Neuroscience

本研究项目将提供信息概念的概念性分析，以促进神经科学的基础研究。这个项目既及时又重要，因为当代神经科学的解释很大程度上依赖于信息的各种概念，而这些概念很少被明确定义。神经科学家经常强调在他们的领域需要更多的基础思维，但很少有机会退后一步，解决这些问题。一位经验丰富的科学哲学家将与神经科学领域的同事合作，通过解决信息概念在特定类型解释中的不同用途的高度具体关注，为该领域做出重大贡献，从受体细胞的神经生理学到关于感觉或运动系统的功能磁共振成像研究。这项研究的结果将通过促进公众对神经科学的理解而造福社会。公众对我们的大脑是如何工作的非常感兴趣，关于这个话题的科普书籍、新闻文章和电视纪录片层出不穷。在向公众提供信息的过程中，对信息的诉求是标准的，但却陷入了科学文献中存在的同样的困惑。因此，阐明和修订神经科学中使用的信息概念也应该对公众的理解产生重大影响。

This research project will provide a conceptual analysis of the notion of information for the purposes of contributing to foundational research in neuroscience. The project is both timely and important since explanation within contemporary neuroscience relies heavily on various concepts of information that are seldom if ever explicitly defined. Neuroscientists have often stressed the need for more foundational thinking in their field but seldom have the chance to step back and address these issues. An empirically-informed philosopher of science will work collaboratively with colleagues in neuroscience to make significant contributions to the field by addressing a highly specific concern about the different uses made of concepts of information in particular kinds of explanation from neurophysiology of receptor cells to fMRI studies about sensory or motor systems.The results of this research will benefit society by facilitating public understanding of neuroscience. There is a large interest among the public about how our brains work, as made evident by the stream of popular science books, news articles, and TV documentaries on this topic. The appeal to information is standard in these offerings to the public, but mired in the same confusions that exist in the scientific literature. Clarifying and revising the information concepts as used in neuroscience should therefore also have a significant impact on its public understanding.