Neurobiological Computation and the Challenge of Physical-Computational Equivalence

Abstract

Anderson and Piccinini’s robust mapping account holds that genuine physical computation requires physical-computational equivalence (PCE), whereby the physical states realizing a computational state must carry exactly the same information about the system’s computational trajectory as that computational state. Though this requirement may be well motivated for digital artifacts, questions remain regarding whether analogous motivations can be made with respect to putatively computing neurobiological systems. In this commentary, I investigate three possible routes for motivating PCE in neurobiological systems: computational models, abstraction over dynamical structures, and Landauer’s Principle. I conclude that each route faces significant underdetermination. Thus, motivating PCE in neurobiological systems remains an open challenge.