An Alternative to Cognitivism: Computational Phenomenology for Deep Learning
Pierre Beckmann, Guillaume Köstner, Inês Hipólito
Minds and Machines June 29, 2023 DOI: 10.1007/s11023-023-09638-w (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Philosophy of mind |
| Citations | 16 |
| Key points | The authors argue that deep learning should not be understood as encoding representations of external entities, as cognitivist and neuro-representationalist accounts claim. They propose computational phenomenology, a method that combines first-person phenomenological analysis with computational models, and apply it to deep learning models to frame artificial neural network mechanisms in terms of lived experience. |
Abstract
Abstract We propose a non-representationalist framework for deep learning relying on a novel method computational phenomenology, a dialogue between the first-person perspective (relying on phenomenology) and the mechanisms of computational models. We thereby propose an alternative to the modern cognitivist interpretation of deep learning, according to which artificial neural networks encode representations of external entities. This interpretation mainly relies on neuro-representationalism, a position that combines a strong ontological commitment towards scientific theoretical entities and the idea that the brain operates on symbolic representations of these entities. We proceed as follows: after offering a review of cognitivism and neuro-representationalism in the field of deep learning, we first elaborate a phenomenological critique of these positions; we then sketch out computational phenomenology and distinguish it from existing alternatives; finally we apply this new method to deep learning models trained on specific tasks, in order to formulate a conceptual framework of deep-learning, that allows one to think of artificial neural networks’ mechanisms in terms of lived experience.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on philosophy of mind, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Psychosis as a state of aberrant salience: a framework linking biology, phenomenology, and pharmacology in schizophrenia. | 2003 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| From dopamine to salience to psychosis--linking biology, pharmacology and phenomenology of psychosis. | 2005 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| How do the brain's time and space mediate consciousness and its different dimensions? Temporo-spatial theory of consciousness (TTC). | 2017 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| The phenomenology of deep brain stimulation-induced changes in OCD: an enactive affordance-based model. | 2013 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Looking for the Self: Phenomenology, Neurophysiology and Philosophical Significance of Drug-induced Ego Dissolution | 2017 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
Citations in the library
Cited by 4
- Bridging the gap of brain and experience - Converging Neurophenomenology with Spatiotemporal Neuroscience. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews June 1, 2025
- Deep computational neurophenomenology: a methodological framework for investigating the how of experience. Neuroscience of Consciousness 2025
- Editorial: Bio A.I. - from embodied cognition to enactive robotics. Frontiers in Neurorobotics November 14, 2023
- Beyond the reducing valve: towards a computational neurophenomenology of altered states via deep neural networks Frontiers in Psychology May 20, 2026
Cites 7
- Radicalizing Enactivism The MIT Press eBooks December 14, 2012
- Towards a computational phenomenology of mental action: modelling meta-awareness and attentional control with deep parametric active inference. Neuroscience of Consciousness 2021
- From Generative Models to Generative Passages: A Computational Approach to (Neuro) Phenomenology. Review of Philosophy and Psychology 2022
- Phenomenology and Connectionism Frontiers in Psychology 2011
- Cognition Without Neural Representation: Dynamics of a Complex System. Frontiers in Psychology January 12, 2022
and 2 more in the library