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Spatiotemporal constraints of causality: Blanket closure emerges from localized interactions between temporally separable subsystems

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 September 2022

Casper Hesp Open the ORCID record for Casper Hesp [Opens in a new window]
Casper Hesp*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, University of Amsterdam, 1098 XH Amsterdam, Netherlands Amsterdam Brain and Cognition Centre, University of Amsterdam, 1098 XH Amsterdam, Netherlands Institute for Advanced Study, University of Amsterdam, 1012 GC Amsterdam, Netherlands Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, University College London, London WC1N 3BG, UK c.hesp@uva.nl twitter: @casper_hesp
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Abstract

In this commentary, I first acknowledge points of common ground with the target article by Bruineberg and colleagues. Then, I consider how certain ambiguities could be resolved by considering spatiotemporal constraints on causality. In particular I show how blanket closure emerges from localized interactions between temporally separable subsystems, and how this points to valuable directions of future research. Finally, I close with a process note discussing the allegorical implications of the authors' creative title.

Type
Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 45 , 2022 , e197
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Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press

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References

Bruineberg, J., & Hesp, C. (2018). Beyond blanket terms: Challenges for the explanatory value of variational (neuro-)ethology. Physics of Life Reviews, 24, 37–39. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.plrev.2017.11.015CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
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