The Case for Medium Dependence: Comment on Neurocognitive Mechanisms by Gualtiero Piccinini

Abstract

This commentary focuses on Piccinini's claim that neural signalling uses medium-independent vehicles, a claim which is crucial in the arguments given for the computational theory of cognition. I argue that Piccinini overestimates the role of spiking in the brain, and underestimates the significance of chemical signalling within and between neurons. There are important implications for how we should understand sui generis neural computation.