The myth of the Bayesian brain
Madhur Mangalam · 2025 · European Journal of Applied Physiology
WASTE classifies this as Negative / Null Result Report · AI classification, approximate
The study found no significant effect — useful as a negative control or null benchmark for your own design.
Abstract
The Bayesian brain hypothesis-the idea that neural systems implement or approximate Bayesian inference-has become a dominant framework in cognitive neuroscience over the past two decades. While mathematically elegant and conceptually unifying, this paper argues that the hypothesis occupies an ambiguous territory between useful metaphor and testable, biologically plausible mechanistic explanation. We critically examine the key claims of the Bayesian brain hypothesis, highlighting issues of unfalsifiability, biological implausibility, and inconsistent empirical support. The framework's remarkabl
Abstract by Madhur Mangalam, European Journal of Applied Physiology (2025) — licensed CC BY 4.0.
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Metadata source: OpenAlex · DOI 10.1007/s00421-025-05855-6