Brain Inspired BI 223 Vicente Raja: Ecological Psychology Motifs in Neuroscience
Oct 22, 2025
Vicente Raja, a philosopher and cognitive scientist at the University of Murcia, explores ecological psychology, focusing on perception, affordances, and behavior in organisms and plants. He discusses the idea of 'motifs'—imprecise yet useful concepts that unify diverse scientific discussions. Vicente critiques traditional neuroscience's internal models, advocating for a perception-action approach instead. He also highlights innovative studies on plant behavior, demonstrating how climbing plants adjust their movements toward potential supports. This synthesis of philosophy and science offers a refreshing perspective on cognition.
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Don't Get Stuck On Definitions
- When discussing core concepts with peers, treat disagreement over definitions as expected and focus on shared functional consequences.
- Raja suggests accepting motifs' vagueness instead of fighting terminological debates that stall productive work.
Why Vague Concepts Persist
- Motifs are vague scientific concepts that persist because their imprecision lets different researchers use them productively across contexts.
- Vicente Raja argues that affordance and representation function as motifs that enable communication despite semantic drift.
Motifs Are Like Musical Themes
- Motifs act like musical motifs: they recur in different theories with variant roles yet keep a recognizable core meaning.
- Raja uses the motif concept to explain long-lived, cross-disciplinary terms like representation and affordance.
