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.
