Guseltseva M.S. Review of the article by Larry Abbott & Rocco Gaudenzi “Theoretical Physics and Theoretical Neuroscience: What Each Can Learn from the Other”

The reviewed article presents a conversation between physicist Rocco Gaudenzi (Department of Humanities, University of Verona, Verona, Italy) and philosopher, physicist, and theoretical neuroscientist Larry Abbott (Center for Theoretical Neuroscience, Columbia University, New York, USA). R. Gaudenzi authored the introduction to the article and poses questions to L. Abbott concerning the methods of scientific inquiry in the fields of physics and biology, to which L. Abbott provides detailed responses.

The interview covers a wide range of topics, from the fundamental nature of modeling in physics and biology to the implications of artificial intelligence (AI) for understanding how the human brain works.

The purpose of the dialogue between the two scholars is to discuss the key similarities and differences between the theoretical frameworks of physics and biology, as well as the corresponding modeling methods used in these fields.

For the preparation of the article, methods of interview, philosophical reflection, and comparative analysis of the methodologies of the two disciplines were employed.

The result of the conversation was a deeper understanding of the ways of thinking within physics and biology, as well as an analysis of the scientific biography of a researcher who transitioned from one research domain to another.

The main conclusion drawn from the discussion can be considered L. Abbott's assertion that a well-formulated research question is a far more important factor in science than the philosophical or methodological approach used.

Key words: methodology, science, theoretical physics, neuroscience, modeling practices in physics and biology, artificial intelligence and the human brain

For citation: Guseltseva, M.S. (2024). Review of the article by Larry Abbott & Rocco Gaudenzi “Theoretical Physics and Theoretical Neuroscience: What Each Can Learn from the Other”. New Psychological Research, No. 4, 220–228. DOI: 10.51217/npsyresearch_2024_04_04_10

Acknowledgment

The article was prepared within a state task, project FNRE-2024-0016.