A neuroscience-based approach has recently been proposed for the relation between the mind and the brain. The proposal is that events at the sub-neuronal, neuronal, and neuronal network levels take place simultaneously to perform a computation that can be described at a high level as a mental state, with content about the world. It is argued that as the processes at the different levels of explanation take place at the same time, they are linked by a non-causal supervenient relationship: causality can best be described in brains as operating within but not between levels. This mind-brain theory allows mental events to be different in kind from the mechanistic events that underlie them; but does not lead one to argue that mental events cause brain events, or vice versa: they are different levels of explanation of the operation of the computational system. Here, some implications are developed. It is proposed that causality, at least as it applies to the brain, should satisfy three conditions. First, interventionist tests for causality must be satisfied. Second, the causally related events should be at the same level of explanation. Third, a temporal order condition must be satisfied, with a suitable time scale in the order of 10 ms (to exclude application to quantum physics; and a cause cannot follow an effect). Next, although it may be useful for different purposes to describe causality involving the mind and brain at the mental level, or at the brain level, it is argued that the brain level may sometimes be more accurate, for sometimes causal accounts at the mental level may arise from confabulation by the mentalee, whereas understanding exactly what computations have occurred in the brain that result in a choice or action will provide the correct causal account for why a choice or action was made. Next, it is argued that possible cases of ‘downward causation’ can be accounted for by a within-levels-of-explanation account of causality. This computational neuroscience approach provides an opportunity to proceed beyond Cartesian dualism and physical reductionism in considering the relations between the mind and the brain.

中文翻译：

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心灵因果关系：一种计算神经科学方法


最近提出了一种基于神经科学的方法来研究心灵和大脑之间的关系。该提议是，亚神经元、神经元和神经元网络级别的事件同时发生，以执行可以在高级别上描述为精神状态的计算，其中包含有关世界的内容。有人认为，由于不同解释层面的过程同时发生，它们通过一种非因果的附带关系联系在一起：因果关系在大脑中最好被描述为在层面内而不是在层面之间运作。这种心脑理论允许心理事件与它们背后的机械事件在种类上有所不同。但并不导致人们认为精神事件导致大脑事件，反之亦然：它们是对计算系统运行的不同层次的解释。在这里，产生了一些影响。有人提出，因果关系（至少适用于大脑）应该满足三个条件。首先，必须满足因果关系的干预检验。其次，因果相关的事件应该处于同一解释水平。第三，必须满足时间顺序条件，合适的时间尺度约为 10 毫秒（排除应用于量子物理学；并且原因不能跟随结果）。 接下来，尽管在心理层面或大脑层面描述涉及心灵和大脑的因果关系可能对不同的目的有用，但有人认为，大脑层面有时可能更准确，因为有时在心理层面进行因果解释可能源于受心理者的虚构，而准确地理解大脑中发生了什么导致选择或行动的计算将为为什么做出选择或行动提供正确的因果解释。接下来，有人认为，“向下因果关系”的可能情况可以通过因果关系的解释层次内的解释来解释。这种计算神经科学方法提供了一个在考虑心灵和大脑之间的关系时超越笛卡尔二元论和物理还原论的机会。