How general are Marr’s levels of explanation? An active inference perspective

Abstract

In his seminal book, Philosophy of Psychology: A Contemporary Introduction, José Bermúdez argues that David Marr’s levels of explanation cannot be used as a general framework for thinking about the levels of explanation in cognitive sciences. More specifically, he argues that Marr’s levels of explanation paradigmatically apply to subpersonal modular cognitive processes, while the mind as a whole is also characterized by non-modular cognitive systems. In this paper, I evaluate Bermúdez’s arguments for this conclusion. Part of the evaluation will be based on recent advancements in the active inference framework, suggesting that even non-modular personal processes can be analyzed within the Marrian paradigm. Moreover, I provide some reasons for thinking that Marr’s levels of explanation could also be employed to illuminate the relationship between personal and subpersonal explanations.