MARIA LUIZA IENNACO DE VASCONCELOS

The scientific literature on the phenomenon of attention presents several ambiguities and inaccuracies regarding its definition and attributes, which suggests the existence of epistemological difficulties and ontological divergences. With this, the Research Project aims to attenuate this scenario, contributing to a better understanding of the treatment and operationalization of attention. To do so, we will start with a critical review of the current state of its field of studies, followed by an investigation of whether biogenic approaches could solve some of the epistemological and ontological problems. Specifically, we will explore how (and if) Active Inference could improve the understanding of the emergence, development, and configuration of attention, in order to assist the explanation, prediction, and even instruct a better manipulation of the central aspects of attention. Finally, the main theoretical and methodological limitations of this endeavor will be listed, aiming at their potential overcoming and, particularly, the clarification of their status internally to the growing current scenario of pragmatic and radically embodied proposals for the philosophy of cognition.