Problems and Hopes of Neurophenomenology and First-Person Neuroscience

Summary

Neurophenomenology and first-person neuroscience aim to bridge first-person and third-person research perspectives by combining high-tech neuroscience with social science approaches. This article reviews current areas of interest and methodological approaches in these fields, highlighting conceptual and methodological problems in linking neuroscience with disciplines that analyze different levels of phenomena. No definitive solution is in sight, but neurophenomenology offers stimuli for new reflections on mental states and fresh perspectives for social neuroscience research.

Study at a glance

Abstract

Neuroscience is a dynamically developing discipline which currently influences the emergence of new research programs that combine high-tech neuroscience methodology with social science approaches. This article focuses on neurophenomenology and fields of first-person neuroscience that attempt to bridge the gap between first-person and third-person perspectives of research. The aim of this article is to show what areas of interest and what methodological approaches the current neurophenomenology and first-person neuroscience is taking, especially in the context of a summary of the basic problems associated with this research program. Efforts to link neuroscience to other disciplines, that traditionally deal with the phenomena of different levels of analysis, are associated with several conceptual and methodological problems. Although no definitive solution to these problems is in sight, neurophenomenology provides a number of stimuli for new reflections on the nature of mental states and brings new perspectives for research within social neuroscience.

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