Predictive Minds: Old Problems and New Challenges (Cognitive Science and Psychology)

The Predictive Processing Theory of Mind is a recent theory developed by philosophers, cognitive scientists, and neuroscientists about the nature and function of the brain and its role in creating the conscious mind that we humans, and perhaps some non-human animals, have. The authors that advanced those lines of research believe that there is a fundamental idea that has been overlooked in the research done about the brain until the present: that the brain is a prediction machine with the function of creating hypotheses about the causes of our sensory signals and predictions of possible future sensory signals. Moreover, the internal models of the world created this way are constantly challenged by incorporating the errors of the previous models into new models. From this point of view, the brain's work could be described as a process of making predictions about the upcoming sensory data based on its best current models of the causes of those data.

This book intends to critically analyze this theory and its subsequent theoretical and empirical consequences. To achieve that, the volume brings together some of the best experts on Predictive Processing - such as Thomas Metzinger, Wanja Wiese, or Mark Miller - with the goal of presenting some of the advantages of this approach but also some of its caveats.

Manuel Curado is a Corresponding Member of the Brazilian Academy of Philosophy. He also works as a professor of Philosophy at the University of Minho, namely in Philosophy of Mind, Ancient Philosophy, and Portuguese Philosophy. He was granted the titles of 'National Defense Auditor' (Ministry of Defense, Lisbon) and 'Senior Management Course for Public Administration' (University of Minho/INA). He is a doctor 'cum laude' from the University of Salamanca, having previously obtained a master's degree in Philosophy from the New University of Lisbon. He recently co-edited 'Perception, Cognition, and Aesthetics' (Routledge, 2019) and 'The Philosophy & Science of Predictive Processing' (Bloomsbury, 2020).

Steven S. Gouveia holds a Ph.D. from the University of Minho (Portugal), where he was a visiting researcher at the Minds, Brain Imaging and Neuroethics Unit of the Royal Institute of Mental Health at the University of Ottawa, Canada. Currently, is a Researcher Fellow at the Mind, Language and Action Group of the Institute of Philosophy of the University of Porto, Portugal. He was recently distinguished as an Honorary Professor of the Faculty of Medicine Andrés Bello, Chile. As an author and editor, he has published thirteen academic books (with Routledge, Palgrave, or Bloomsbury). His most recent one is titled 'Philosophy & Neuroscience: a Methodological Analysis, ' published in 2022. More info: stevensgouveia.weebly.com.