Book Recommendations by Luiz Pessoa

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗮 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗱𝗼 𝗮𝗻𝘆𝘄𝗮𝘆? Fascinating and profound book on what brains are *not* and what they might be. Including criticism of the computational and predictive brain frameworks. You might not agree with some of it but quite thought provoking. https://x.com/PessoaBrain/status/2054244565066940438/photo/1

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗸𝗲𝘆 𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗯𝗶𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗺𝘀 (not the gene) Excellent book, heavy emphasis on development. https://x.com/PessoaBrain/status/2033577815719760119/photo/1

𝗨𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵 Beyond Kuhn and Feyerbend. Still in chapter 2 but this looks great. More info below. https://x.com/PessoaBrain/status/2023082254789140658/photo/1

This book by Wimsatt is exceptional if you're interested in understanding the world, knowledge, science, etc. It can be challenging especially in some parts. But now Johannes Jaeger has written a stand alone accessible paper. I highly recommend it! https://zenodo.org/records/18293424 https://x.com/PessoaBrain/status/2015107024325873898/photo/1

𝗨𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰 𝗨𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 Great book about what understanding means in science. Highly recommend it. Amazing historical account of cases studies in physics. Slow/repetitive at times but lots of gems if you stick with it. https://x.com/PessoaBrain/status/2003142612484751570/photo/1

*The Animal and the Thinker* by the amazing neuroscientist John Duncan, U of Cambridge. Haven't read it but looks really interesting. https://x.com/PessoaBrain/status/1979976899565662352/photo/1

𝗔𝗻 𝗘𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗔𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆 This short book by Moreno and Pereto' looks very interesting. One more on the understanding of biological agency. And it's open access! https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-032-05644-3 https://x.com/PessoaBrain/status/1975244666904977835/photo/1

𝗪𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗮𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘂𝗿𝗼𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲? This is massive, a lot of great material. Huge amount of work to put this together, many thanks to Jorge and Patrik for getting the second edition out. https://x.com/PessoaBrain/status/1973771919947333889/photo/1

𝗡𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗡𝗲𝘂𝗿𝗼𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 Title of section 1 summarizes it: "The problem: Reductionism and control vs natural behavior: from Descartes and Bacon to Natural Neuroscience" The brain as a complex network. Looks like a fantastic book. https://x.com/PessoaBrain/status/1937191330830262409/photo/1

Principles of Biological Autonomy by Francisco Varela, new ed Now that biology is catching up with Varela (eg agency is commonplace and teleology not scary) the book is more timely than ever. Here's my physical version! Commentary by Di Paolo and E. Thompson is very helpful. https://x.com/PessoaBrain/status/1919816014125990346/photo/1

𝗛𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘀𝗶𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗟𝗶𝗳𝗲 Looks like a must read if only for the history but I'm sure a lot more. By Bechtel and Bich, among the best philosophers of life out there. https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-cor... https://x.com/PessoaBrain/status/1897350415580271047/photo/1

𝗕𝗶𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗢𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 By none other than one of my favorite theoretical biologists. Jumps all the way to the top of the reading list! And free access for 2 weeks (??), so get it right away. https://www.cambridge.org/core/elements/biological-organi... https://x.com/PessoaBrain/status/1864353658390856075/photo/1

Lots of colleagues would greatly appreciate this book. But don't get it yet. A new version is coming out with annotations by Evan Thompson and Ezequiel Di Paolo. I've known for a long time that Varela was amazing, but wow! https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262551403/principles-of-biol...

𝗖𝗮𝗻 𝗮 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗯𝗲 𝟰𝟱 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲?? Listening to Varela's Principles of Biological Autonomy (1979) and it's absolutely remarkable. So many of the current issues on principles of biological systems are outlined with such clarity and depth. https://x.com/PessoaBrain/status/1837907369776329209/photo/1

@KordingLab Where do I begin? There's this book The Entangled Brain, which is open access that discusses this quite a bit. The type of coordinated processing described there doesn't really fit with your options that well. https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262544603/the-entangled-brain/

Time to read this book by Evan Thompson @evantthompson https://x.com/PessoaBrain/status/1822697874062479693/photo/1

@rlmcelreath @ISBA_events Congratulations, it's a wonderful/beautiful book!!

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻? Please update your textbooks... Not really very useful to carve perception out of the rest of the mind-brain. By Kevin Mitchell: https://www.thetransmitter.org/defining-representations/w... https://x.com/PessoaBrain/status/1795464879081492511/photo/1

Howard Pattee's work on theoretical biology: from complex systems to symbolic information processing in biological systems Open access book: https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-94-007-5161-3 https://x.com/PessoaBrain/status/1786789067218178302/photo/1

Learn dynamical systems in a graphic book! Abraham, R., & Shaw, C. D. (1992). Dynamics--the geometry of behavior. 2nd edition https://x.com/PessoaBrain/status/1777742559248306246/photo/1

“How Life Works: A User’s Guide to the New Biology.” Outstanding discussion with Philip Ball about his book, from proteins to emergent causation and agency! Check the excellent podcast Big Biology. https://link.chtbl.com/k2Ppw4ex

Ecological Psychology Get it for free for the next two weeks! (this time with the link) https://www.cambridge.org/core/elements/ecological-psycho... https://x.com/PessoaBrain/status/1775128215922565260/photo/1

The Blind Spot Let's understand science as a human experience. Started chapter 2, can't wait to read more! https://x.com/PessoaBrain/status/1766844174467207201/photo/1

@keithfrankish Organisms, agency and evolution Exceptional book on evolution. https://x.com/PessoaBrain/status/1765802296087064643/photo/1

Von Humbolt's invention of nature. Fantastic book tracing some of the origins of systems thinking, and a lot more of course. "Everything is interaction and reciprocal" -- A Von Humboldt (thanks to @alinefortuna2 for giving me the final push to read it!) https://x.com/PessoaBrain/status/1745505879292592422/photo/1

𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯, a few suggestions! (including older books read this year) My top two choices include Kevin Mitchell's 𝗙𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗔𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀, a fascinating take on how to "naturalize" challenging problems such as agency, and even free will. https://x.com/PessoaBrain/status/1738607506220282209/photo/1

𝗙𝘂𝗻𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲-𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗺𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 and lots more. A classic! https://www.mrc-cbu.cam.ac.uk/personal/rik.henson/persona... https://x.com/PessoaBrain/status/1735711064044822988/photo/1

Interested in how genes work, how organs form? This book will change how you look at biology! Truly outstanding treatment of the genetic and cellular world. https://x.com/PessoaBrain/status/1730984921949204822/photo/1

@BayouPhilosophy Fair enough. See if this book convinces you :-) https://x.com/PessoaBrain/status/1718324807618441494/photo/1

@alephlove @JohnKubie @SMcfarnell This is an excellent book: https://x.com/PessoaBrain/status/1717505697573666942/photo/1

Next book to read! 😀 https://t.co/EoIVQorvJf

@manlius84 ask the author? read the book? I recommend it!

𝗙𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗔𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 by Kevin Mitchell. How biology/evolution builds true agency, a fantastic read. https://x.com/PessoaBrain/status/1711023812265881972/photo/1

Manuel DeLanda is always incredibly stimulating. Chapters 1-2 have great material on 𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲, fresh perspective. https://x.com/PessoaBrain/status/1706001888141865209/photo/1

Check out the book too, highly recommend it, especially if you're less familiar with some of these notions. https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262545662/context-changes-ev...

𝗡𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗱, great book by Simon Bowes. Perhaps for a library order as it's on the expensive side... https://x.com/PessoaBrain/status/1695068363423141943/photo/1

@JPober @SpeedWatkins @DrYohanJohn @petemandik @evantthompson @simon_c_bowes @diceyjennings Walsh discusses the argument in his book Organisms, Agency, and Evolution. https://x.com/PessoaBrain/status/1692651005228331199/photo/1

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗗𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗙𝗲𝗲𝗹? by Bud Craig. Excellent book of how interoception is central to understanding awareness, emotion, etc. https://x.com/PessoaBrain/status/1689665105556910081/photo/1

𝗖𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘅𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗲 open access book, fantastic editors #about" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-030-41239-5#...

𝗖𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲, 𝗯𝗶𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆, 𝗽𝗵𝘆𝘀𝗶𝗰𝘀, pretty much everything here. Have only read parts but I think this is pretty amazing @C4COMPUTATION @DrYohanJohn @mraginsky @WiringTheBrain @manlius84 @simon_c_bowes @_fernando_rosas https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphys.2018.0... https://x.com/PessoaBrain/status/1685343867938234368/photo/1

Some of the material in Alicia Juarrero's book is quite useful, Chapters 6 and 9 for example. Open access! https://direct.mit.edu/books/oa-monograph/5600/Context-Ch...

𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 by Alicia Juarrero finally out! Understanding systems (brains/behavior/etc) in terms of interactional, extended, and context-dependent interdependencies. Only finished Ch 1 but will be sharing highlights when possible. https://x.com/PessoaBrain/status/1680212532387012611/photo/1

𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗺 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝗣𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 by Hasok Chang. Based on the podcast looks very promising! https://newbooksnetwork.com/realism-for-realistic-people https://x.com/PessoaBrain/status/1667586295722393601/photo/1

Michael's long version of the argument is in book form too, highly recommend it: https://x.com/PessoaBrain/status/1659190552368144391/photo/1

@ev_fedorenko there's so much, do you want reviews? or primary studies? The issue of understanding cross-species competencies?? I highly recommend this book on fishes, they are amazing and exhibit complex social behaviors too. https://x.com/PessoaBrain/status/1648805432268406791/photo/1

𝗦𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 In Dialectical Systems: "Why western science and philosophy cannot deal with the relations between parts and wholes" by Alicia Juarero (new book! https://www.dialecticalsystems.eu/contributions/why-weste...

The correct answer to the quiz is 3! Legallois described a focal region in the medulla critical for respiration in 1812. That's decades before Broca's famous Tan case of speech (1861). Btw, this book is fantastic, too much fun! (Bell/Magendie in 1822 on spinal dorsal/ventral) https://x.com/PessoaBrain/status/1634595269705605123 https://x.com/PessoaBrain/status/1635016381459746816/photo/1

The book is outstanding and well worth digging into, especially given that scientists tend to focus on the Popper/Kuhn duo. There are a lot of important more recent developments. NB: it takes a while for discussion on specific case studies, don't give up! https://x.com/PessoaBrain/status/1554804915255508992?s=20

@C_A_Bakker Charles, a better source of process ideas imo is John Dupre and Dan Nicholson! Their edited book and manifesto outlines it all.

@WiringTheBrain @Melissa_M_Shew @philosophypills Check also the book by Adolphs and Anderson on emotion, quite a lot of relevant discussion. Their take is that feelings should be considered rather separate from emotion-related processing.

@drmichaellevin @p_realism Strongly recommend Michela's book Perspectival Realism. The middle part has several case studies developed in depth.

𝗔𝗻 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 with Applications in R by James, Witten, Hastie, Tibshirani is outstanding. Shockingly engineering students don't use R... is there any version out there of the same applications/ exercises in Python? https://x.com/PessoaBrain/status/1615746926921814024/photo/1

6) I called this framework the "𝗺𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘃𝗲𝘀" model. The goal was to explain the rapid and not-so-rapid latencies of stimuli with emotional content, but applies to stimuli in general. It's described in Chapters 3 and 4 of my earlier book: https://direct.mit.edu/books/book/2990

5) 𝗢𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗺𝘀, 𝗔𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗘𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, by D.M. Walsh, fantastic book and proposal of *situated darwinism". Found it to be one of the most well developed arguments pushing evolutionary thinking into novel landscapes situated on organisms. https://x.com/PessoaBrain/status/1609591726745722883/photo/1

4) 𝗜𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 by Stuart Kauffman This is a stunning book by someone with deeply original thinking. A way of thinking of biology and systems that suggests that we need more than we have from physics (a 4th law of thermodynamics??). https://x.com/PessoaBrain/status/1609266534467125249/photo/1

𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟮 that I'd like to share. 1) 𝗘𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝘅𝘁 by Bishop, Silberstein, Pexton. Unique treatment of the much-discussed emergence concept. Develops a path away from the dichotomy between weak/strong emergence. Quite original, I thought. https://x.com/PessoaBrain/status/1608811847649746945/photo/1

I also recommend this one by my Italian friends Marco Viola and Fabrizio Calzavarini: 𝗡𝗲𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗠𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗺𝘀. They convinced me a few years go during dinner in Torino that I should do more work at the interface of the two disciplines! https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-3-030-54092-0

Yes, the book that you want to get is 𝗡𝗲𝘂𝗿𝗼𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗣𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗼𝗽𝗵𝘆 edited by De Brigard and Sinnott-Armstrong. https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262045438/neuroscience-and-p... Double check the chapters but it seems to be what you want. https://x.com/DrYohanJohn/status/1602406275278835712

My book **The Entangled Brain** by MIT Press is out and provides an introduction to the brain to non-specialists while embracing the complexity of how brains help bring about behaviors. I'll be posting 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 in the coming 1-2 weeks https://x.com/PessoaBrain/status/1593637077949767680/photo/1

𝗘𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝘅𝘁! Next reading project but from some shorter versions of the framework it's what we need to move beyond past controversies. https://x.com/PessoaBrain/status/1580649334684942336/photo/1

@TonyZador @LKayChicago @MillerLabMIT @WiringTheBrain @kendmil @attninaction @DrYohanJohn @JaumeTeixi @behaviOrganisms Good question, let me ask my comparative anatomy friends about the status of olfaction: @LoretaMedinaH @EDesfilis @howbrainsevolve @neuro425 Of course the book by Striedter and Northcutt is exceptional, need to go back and consult it again: https://x.com/PessoaBrain/status/1579243595105640449/photo/1

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀? Why are some "causal" and others "non-causal"? Interesting discussion! Collin Rices discusses new-ish book: Leveraging Distortions: Explanation, Idealization, and Universality in Science. https://newbooksnetwork.com/leveraging-distortions

I see people interested in "primitive" forms of 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲/𝗮𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀/𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 across animal groups that might not have a stronger neuro background (say, philosophers). Highly recommend The Evolution of the Sensitive Soul by Ginsburg and Jablonka https://x.com/PessoaBrain/status/1569663198294319110/photo/1

Want to learn about the brain from a fresh, novel perspective? I wrote a book to introduce the brain to everyone! Does not assume prior knowledge. @bnbuzz is offering a 25% discount with the code PREORDER25, today and tomorrow only. http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/?ean=9780262544603 @mitpress https://x.com/PessoaBrain/status/1567490937298845698/photo/1

4) etc I'm sure we'll debate even what should or shouldn't be on the list! Reading Russ' book The New Mind Readers is also a good place to start.

Good podcast on 𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲, reductionism, physicalism, etc. with Jessica Wilson discussing her book on emergence. This one is more for philosophers and aficionados 🤣 J Wilson is not convinced by stronger versions of emergence, fair enough. https://newbooksnetwork.com/metaphysical-emergence

And if you are ~more than completely obsessed~ here's the revolutionary treatment of the European / Spanish school of comparative neuroanatomy. This is the future imo! (this book is a reprint of 300+ slides plus detailed explanations of each, be warned!) https://x.com/PessoaBrain/status/1561106952188469249/photo/1

@lndriscoll @DLBarack @SussilloDavid @russpoldrack @NicoleCRust @mljanderson @gualtieropicc Probably the best place is his book "Conscious Mind, Resonant Brain". Try to just skip the passages that are over the top (about credit/priority of ideas, etc). Lots of good computational insights there.

𝗡𝗲𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗺𝘆 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 of the week: Principles of Brain Evolution by G. Striedter. Learning from the architectural plan of all vertebrates. From 2005 but still an excellent source, and probably the only one at this accessible level. https://x.com/PessoaBrain/status/1561096187683430403/photo/1

𝗡𝗲𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗺𝘆 book of the week! Larry Swanson's book, a gem. Short and accessible, should be titled: "What is a brain?" or something like that as it describes the foundations of how nervous systems are organized. (I read the first edition, need to now read the second) https://x.com/PessoaBrain/status/1558828931679133696/photo/1

For the philosophers interested in the sprawling discussion on *emergence* this afternoon, I recommend Michela Massimi's book, Perspectival Realism. Not for the topic of emergence but on "essentialism", natural kinds, types of explanation in science, lots more. Highly relevant.

Want to learn 𝗻𝗲𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗺𝘆 by understanding how it's organized across all vertebrates? Here's an amazing textbook: Comparative Vertebrate Neuroanatomy by Ann Butler and William (Bill) Hodos. https://x.com/PessoaBrain/status/1556265364920598531/photo/1

𝗦𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝘀𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗼𝗽𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀: outstanding book on philosophy of science. Imo this one will be a classic! Retaining a "realist" perspective in science by embracing the plurality that comes from multiple perspectives. Perspectival Realism by Michela Massimi https://x.com/PessoaBrain/status/1554804915255508992/photo/1

𝗡𝗲𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗺𝘆 book of the week. This is a textbook; one of the best references around although it's from 2008 (don't know if there's a more recent edition). Outstanding treatment of large-scale connectional systems. https://x.com/PessoaBrain/status/1553435865225072642/photo/1

Another 𝗻𝗲𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗺𝘆 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 that I highly recommend is this really excellent book by Gerald Schneider: Brain Structure and Its Origins. Comprehensive treatment of brain anatomy from a strong evolutionary standpoint. Some of you will enjoy! https://x.com/PessoaBrain/status/1550841322554155008/photo/1

I'm asked once in a while about good 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗺𝘆 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸𝘀. My favorite is *Anatomy of Neuropsychiatry* by Heimer/Van Hoesen/Trimble/Zahm. Possibly the best 139 pages of neuroanatomy available! https://x.com/PessoaBrain/status/1548354635068424193/photo/1

Looks like a fantastic book by a deep thinker. Definitely one for the reading list. "... proposes her own novel, skeptical theory of emotions, called the goal-directed theory, based on the central idea that all kinds of behaviors and feelings are grounded in goal-striving." https://x.com/PessoaBrain/status/1539263643640074241/photo/1

Next reading project! Looking forward to learning about 𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝘀𝘆𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗼𝗱𝗶𝗲𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗴𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 and their broader implications. https://x.com/PessoaBrain/status/1538209577535213568/photo/1

The book itself is a major synthesis of thinking/data on the evolution of vertebrates. https://x.com/PessoaBrain/status/1535244583285755907/photo/1

@WiringTheBrain Really enjoyed this! Especially after you get past Chalmers... I think you'll appreciate and enjoy the Humphreys book on emergence, it has a very careful look at the issues.

Want to know everything about 𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲? What does it mean anyway? All those terms: ontological, epistemic, weak, strong. So confusing! Check this book by Paul Humphreys. In-depth treatment, so not light reading. Chapter 1 by itself provides an excellent overview. https://x.com/PessoaBrain/status/1528393838246731781/photo/1

𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗲𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗲? Deep dive by Ginsburg and Jablonka in The Evolution of the Sensitive Soul. For those interested in the evolutionary perspectives, Part II: Major Transitions in the Evolution of the Mind is a treat! (but note, dense!) https://x.com/PessoaBrain/status/1525853887294586880/photo/1

𝗕𝗶𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗔𝘂𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗺𝘆 is a wonderful book about how organisms are truly autonomous. Lots on emergence, organization, emergence, agency, evolution. You can "read it" it all here in this unique thread by @R3RT0: https://x.com/R3RT0/status/1525466551532535808?s=20&t=4hA... https://x.com/PessoaBrain/status/1525596642166046721/photo/1

𝗡𝗲𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀! Neuroscience & Philosophy Salon hosts Gualtiero Piccinini (@gualtieropicc) discussing importance of embodiment, affect, environment, etc. Join presentation + discussion: May 13, 12pm EST-USA. Register here: https://umd.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJ0pfuqvpjIoHdwvYnP4... https://x.com/PessoaBrain/status/1522954185230385152/photo/1

𝗢𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗺𝘀, 𝗔𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗘𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, by D.M. Walsh, fantastic book and proposal of 𝕊𝕚𝕥𝕦𝕒𝕥𝕖𝕕 𝔻𝕒𝕣𝕨𝕚𝕟𝕚𝕤𝕞. Imo one of the most well developed arguments pushing evolutionary thinking into novel landscapes situated on organisms. https://x.com/PessoaBrain/status/1520795099017449474/photo/1

This looks like a fascinating book by @AnneliJefferson https://www.routledge.com/Are-Mental-Disorders-Brain-Diso...

𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗻𝗲𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗺𝘆? There are some good books available but this is excellent and from some of the greats in neuroanatomy. https://x.com/PessoaBrain/status/1517836306268708865/photo/1

@patrickmineault Did you see this upcoming book? Looks extremely promising. https://x.com/RobertRosenba14/status/1509532030656081930?...

𝗘𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗵𝗶𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗽𝘂𝘀: "A structure adopts new functions during evolution, yet its ancestry can be traced to something more fundamental.” The Evolution of Memory Systems by Murray, Wise, and Graham. Fantastic book from an evolutionary perspective. https://x.com/PessoaBrain/status/1510712967855230985/photo/1

@JRBneuropsiq @PhilCorlett1 @rsolisv81 @Any_Ruth @lonelytangerine @fhernandhah @AaronDelOlmo @smartinezho1 My 3 books on cognition would be: *The Embodied Mind* by Varela, @evantthompson Rosch *Understanding Computers and Cognition*, Winograd and Fernando Flores (little known but highly influenced me long ago) *Principles of Behavioral and Cognitive Neurololgy*, chapter 1 by Mesulam

@_fernando_rosas @itjohnstone @R3RT0 @DLBarack Don't mean this in a bad way Fernando, but I think it takes quite a while of reading biology and the "biological" to get a good sense of this type of thinking. The only good introductory book that I think can give you a good sense is The Tree of Knowldege by Varela and Maturana. https://x.com/PessoaBrain/status/1507104318821969925/photo/1

𝗢𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗺𝘀, 𝗔𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗘𝘃𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, by D.M. Walsh, new reading project. Evolving 🧵 https://x.com/PessoaBrain/status/1503743823456964611/photo/1

Figure from this amazing book: https://x.com/PessoaBrain/status/1497583960771211269/photo/1

@AntonellaTrama3 @HaneMaung Susan Oyama's The Ontogeny of Information and Evan Thompson's Mind in Life are great books on those issues if you haven't read them yet.

𝗡𝗲𝘂𝗿𝗼𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗼𝗽𝗵𝘆 enthusiasts, this is a must-read! And free PDF for a few weeks. https://www.cambridge.org/core/elements/philosophy-of-neu...

3) In fact I wish the book had been available when I was learning about anatomy. The book is outstanding except for its treatment of the debunked "limbic system". https://cognitionemotion.wordpress.com/2014/07/26/brain-s...

2) Schneider discusses this in interesting ways in his excellent book: https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/brain-structure-and-its-or...

1) Great book by Angela Potochnik: 𝗜𝗱𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗶𝗺𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗦𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲. Haven’t finished it yet but enjoying it quite a bit (some disagreements too!). https://x.com/PessoaBrain/status/1485277623135707143/photo/1

@keithfrankish @Christakou @Philip_Goff A good book to consider those issues from novel points of view is Stuart Kauffman's Investigations. A bit technical in some parts but those can be skimmed. He actually challenges the second law given that interesting systems are open, not closed. Lots of other insights there.

@keithfrankish @evantthompson In any case strongly recommend the excellent treatment by Mossio and Moreno. I have some problems with some of the details, but it's very good.

This open access book is great also; make sure to check the manifesto chapter by Nicholson and Dupre. Wait, not open access anymore @NicholsonHPBio?? https://global.oup.com/academic/product/everything-flows-... https://x.com/PessoaBrain/status/1478831078416830465/photo/1

𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗽𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗼𝗽𝗵𝘆 provides an extremely interesting alternative to the standard view of the world as composed of "things" (atoms). Re-sharing these here in the new year. I suggest this outstanding short book by Dupre. https://x.com/PessoaBrain/status/1478830820152512513/photo/1

4) ... evolution. 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯?? At times repetitive, at times vague, and at times difficult to keep going. Nevertheless, an enormously important book.

𝐅𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐨𝐟 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟏 Wimsatt (2007): Re-Engineering Philosophy for Limited Beings: Piecewise Approximations to Reality https://x.com/PessoaBrain/status/1472626403107647493/photo/1

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠? Wimsatt has an excellent treatment of the underlying issues. I suggest Chapters 9 and 12 of his 2007 book. @WiringTheBrain @ProfLaurenRoss https://x.com/PessoaBrain/status/1471148034037850119/photo/1

Highly recommend it! https://x.com/KLIAustria/status/1465400791473213447

@wrwveit I strongly recommend chapters from The Tree of Knowledge (or whole book). Please share reading list of possible!

Time to re-read Mind in Life! (project for thanksgiving or maybe winter break) https://x.com/PessoaBrain/status/1462822132174446601/photo/1

This is going to be a 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝘁-𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝘀𝘁𝘀! Especially those interested in understanding how to be a "realist" from a pluralist perspective. Ahh, and philosophers too :-) @p_realism https://global.oup.com/academic/product/perspectival-real... https://x.com/PessoaBrain/status/1459654427065950219/photo/1

@JRBneuropsiq I think Damasio had great insights, and I particularly like some parts of his book "The feeling of what happens" (can't remember exactly). But a lot of it is just the broadest outlines and a lot of people are doing the actual science.

Aside: unfortunately the discussion doesn’t connect with full-blown process-oriented views of biology, such as by J. Dupre and Daniel Nicholson @NicholsonHPBio Check out this amazing book free online! https://library.oapen.org/handle/20.500.12657/29752https:...

But there’s a whole new edited collection that I’m reading that I highly recommend for people with an interest by Daniel Brooks, James DiFrisco, and Wimsatt himself. https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/levels-organization-biolog...

Reading the book is worth it but if you don't have the time/energy, I *highly recommend* two chapters. Chapter 10: The Ontology of Complex Systems: Levels of Organization, Perspectives, and Causal Thickets version here: https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1...

Finished 𝗥𝗲-𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗣𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗼𝗽𝗵𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗟𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗕𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀: 𝗣𝗶𝗲𝗰𝗲𝘄𝗶𝘀𝗲 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘅𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆. What a fabulous book. Mind boggling that a lot of it was written in the 1970s, hugely visionary imo. https://x.com/PessoaBrain/status/1439209879550447619/photo/1

Recently read Theory and Reality. It's introductory so even a scientist can read it! Truly enjoyable and well written. Interesting discussions about different dimensions of science, including the strange thing that this group of strange people do, the scientists... https://x.com/PessoaBrain/status/1429506406055649285/photo/1

Better to think of "representation" thinking in terms of degree, not yes/no. To have a better idea of what people mean, I think you need to read @evantthompson The Embodied Mind where the figure is from, at least the first few chapters. https://x.com/DrYohanJohn/status/1426194839717224451 https://x.com/PessoaBrain/status/1426297479360917515/photo/1

Another excellent book is this one by Gelman, but again somewhat out of reach for many students. http://www.stat.columbia.edu/~gelman/arm/

This book by McElreath is excellent but doesn't resonate with many biology/psychology students. I think they find it a bit too technical. @rlmcelreath https://xcelab.net/rm/statistical-rethinking/

Teaching a course on *emotion* or just interested in some of the key debates of the area? Check this book out: (disclosure: I contributed short chapters) https://t.co/nzMpbMPGxQ

Highly recommend it if you *really* want to understand data analysis, statistical models, multilevel Bayesian thinking, and a huge amount more. Truly a treasure trove.💯 https://t.co/C5Zism66kk

Good reminder for those who still cling to genetic "essentialism" :-) Book could be interesting too. https://x.com/KampourakisK/status/1411584336801980416

@DavidDeMaris1 @NoahGuzman14 This book by Nicholson and Dupre' (open access): https://library.oapen.org/handle/20.500.12657/29752

Buying a few books and really enjoyed Biological Autonomy by Moreno/Mossio and really enjoying The Ontogeny of Information by Oyama (what a book!). Enjoyed hugely The Metaphysics of Biology by Dupre. So what books should I buy next? thanks

I recommend Biological Autonomy by Moreno/Mossio (which you're familiar with) https://www.springer.com/gp/book/9789401798365 https://x.com/NoahGuzman14/status/1402766282424930307

𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐬: Highly recommend this if you're new to the generalized linear models (GLM) and regression. https://t.co/8bpfEiwePy

@WiringTheBrain @LucaAmb @seanmcarroll Have you read Biological Autonomy by Moreno/Mossio? Highly recommend it as it gives a very broad view of biology that moves it away from physics/chemistry in fundamental ways. https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-94-017-9837-2

@WiringTheBrain Hi Kevin, the do you recommend it? By the way, if you haven't read Homology, genes, and evolutionary innovation by G. Wagner, I highly recommend it.

We discussed Steve Grossberg's 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝘂𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗻𝗲𝘂𝗿𝗼𝘀𝗰𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 work a few months ago and I mentioned his book would be out. Well, it is now! According to Steve, each chapter is supposed to stand on its own so there should be lots of topics of interest! https://x.com/PessoaBrain/status/1393339168936370177/photo/1

Foundations of biology: based on other things I've read from Dupre this looks like a great short read. https://t.co/8VYXmsySuB https://x.com/PessoaBrain/status/1391014688465559556/photo/1

This will be relevant to those interested in the conceptual foundations of statistics and data analysis. Great to have the book available, thanks! https://x.com/learnfromerror/status/1363255153814630400

5) Less known is that she co-authored a fantastic book on the evolution of memory systems. I highly recommend it, although it's not light reading by any means! https://global.oup.com/academic/product/the-evolution-of-...

@Cuneatos If you're interested in my proposal, you can read my earlier book, although it's pretty technical for the general reader. https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/cognitive-emotional-brain More accessible books are coming soon!

This is a really great book, highly recommend it. https://t.co/vSSmzeSFOZ

A good place is the Gelman book on mutlilevel modeling. The best way to think about this is in terms of the model itself, the nesting structure and what exactly is being modeled. Between/within and fixed/random is really about your model, better forget a bit about the names. https://x.com/_fernando_rosas/status/1340710393451327490

@TaraViegen @NeuroYogacara A short book that I highly recommend is Mayr, Ernst (2004). What Makes Biology Unique?. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-84114-6.

Book about emotion: we discussed this yesterday but I forgot about the Adolphs & Anderson book: The Neuroscience of Emotion, which I've read and really liked. I even wrote a short blurb about it but somehow escaped me yesterday 😕 https://osf.io/cu5zg

@NeuroYogacara I also enjoyed the second book by Damasio, the one with the crazy title, need to search, wait... The Feeling of What Happens. At the time I felt it had an interesting integrative view, not sure how I would feel now given my "hyper-integrationist" viewpoint.

@jmacshine @NeuroYogacara @tylerhower yes, outstanding book! Deacon in Incomplete Nature copies a lot of her stuff but has some very interesting points too. (although I feel conflicted because he copied so much from Juarrero)

Review of The Neuroscience of Emotion by Adolphs and Anderson. Excellent book; refreshing, candid description of our state of knowledge/ignorance. But I had to quibble with the idea that we can carve out emotion and research it independently... 🧵 https://osf.io/cu5zg

Bayesian stats💯 This is more than an amazing resource! @rlmcelreath's book is outstanding if you're not familiar with it. https://x.com/SolomonKurz/status/1316047324003684353

@NeuroYogacara great, it would be great to collect the ones we recommend somewhere. As a non-philosopher I found Alicia Juarrero's book very inspiring. The part on constraints was particularly convincing to me as a scientist.