ABSTRACT

This chapter seeks the intellectual roots of this science as it has developed over its history. It reviews a sampling of the theories that have been offered in this modern and exciting field of science. The chapter expresses some concluding and summarizing judgments and opinions concerning the direction that cognitive neuroscience should most profitably take in the future. It looks at the current status as well as the epistemological limits of cognitive neuroscience theory. Some are highly technical, some metaphorical, and some are strings of words that sometimes strain credulity and clarity. It is not always clear which are the most useful. Some intentionally fuzzy definitions are intended to help us to “feel” a meaning more than to delineate an exhaustive list of properties and characteristics. The confusion illustrated in the erroneous theory–hypothesis “synonym” is based on the substantial difference in intended breadth between a hypothesis and a theory, respectively.