Washington University in St. Louis
Philosophy/Neuroscience/Psychology Program
PhD, 1997
Orlando, Florida, United States of America
  •  594
    The idea of integrating evolutionary biology and psychology has great promise, but one that will be compromised if psychological functions are conceived too abstractly and neuroscience is not allowed to play a contructive role. We argue that the proper integration of neuroscience, psychology, and evolutionary biology requires a telelogical as opposed to a merely componential analysis of function. A teleological analysis is required in neuroscience itself; we point to traditional and curent resea…Read more
  •  244
    2. Daugman, J. G. Brain metaphor and brain theory 3. Mundale, J. Neuroanatomical Foundations of Cognition: Connecting the Neuronal Level with the Study of Higher Brain Areas
  •  232
    Concepts of localization: Balkanization in the brain (review)
    Brain and Mind 3 (3): 313-30. 2002.
    A spate of recent anti-localizationist publications have re-ignited the old debate about the localization of function. Many of the recent attacks on localization, however, are directed at what I will argue to be a narrow and outmoded view of localization, and thus have little conceptual or empirical impact. What I hope to present here is an analysis of functional localization that more adequately reflects the sophistication and complexity of its use in neuroscientific research, both historically…Read more
  •  120
    I argue that philosophical practice is a clinically active and influential endeavor, with both positive (therapeutic) and negative (detrimental) psychological possibilities. Though some have explicitly taken the clinical aspects of philosophy into the therapeutic realm via the new field of philosophical counseling, I am interested in the clinical context of philosophers as philosophers, engaged in standard, philosophical pursuits. In arguing for the clinical implications of philosophical practic…Read more
  •  91
    The claim of the multiple realizability of mental states by brain states has been a major feature of the dominant philosophy of mind of the late 20th century. The claim is usually motivated by evidence that mental states are multiply realized, both within humans and between humans and other species. We challenge this contention by focusing on how neuroscientists differentiate brain areas. The fact that they rely centrally on psychological measures in mapping the brain and do so in a comparative …Read more
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  •  4
    Herbert's Gholas
    In Kevin S. Decker (ed.), Dune and Philosophy, Wiley. 2022.
    Frank Herbert's gholas are a curious twist on the golem, a creature inspired by Jewish theology and folklore. Although Herbert's gholas differ in interesting ways from the traditional golem, the historic similarities can enrich and add to our appreciation of these creatures, especially Dune 's most famous and enduring ghola, Duncan Idaho. As is often the case with good science fiction, Herbert demonstrates remarkable foresight for many scientific and technological developments that had yet to oc…Read more
  •  3
    Brain Mapping
    In William Bechtel & George Graham (eds.), A Companion to Cognitive Science, Blackwell. 2017.
    One important way in which neuroscience, particularly neuroanatomy, contributes to cognitive science is by providing a model of the brain's architecture, which, in turn, can be utilized as a guide to the architecture of cognition. This project assumes commitment to a view, now well established, that different mental processes, such as perceiving and remembering, employ different parts of the brain (where part is loosely construed so as not to exclude entities which may themselves be composite). …Read more
  • Neuroanatomical Foundations
    In William P. Bechtel, Pete Mandik, Jennifer Mundale & Robert S. Stufflebeam (eds.), Philosophy and the Neurosciences: A Reader, Blackwell. pp. 37. 2001.
  • This dissertation is a philosophical investigation into a neuroscientific subject: Mapping the brain. After a brief introduction, the first of five chapters sets forth the scientific issue and explains why it is of philosophical interest. Through actual examples of research into mapping the visual system and the frontal lobe, as well as the commonly used criteria for the delineation of distinct brain areas, I am able to indicate the nature of the difficulties, assumptions, and questions associat…Read more