One person's modus ponens...: Comment on "The Markov blanket trick: On the scope of the free energy principle and active inference" by Raja and colleagues (2021)

TL;DR

This paper critiques Raja et al.'s 2021 work on the free energy principle, identifying a flawed premise and highlighting subsequent research that addresses the issues raised.

Contribution

It provides a critical analysis of Raja et al.'s argument, clarifying the validity and limitations of their claims within the context of recent developments.

Findings

Raja et al.'s argument contains a flawed premise.

Recent work on the FEP supports a stronger response to the critique.

The critique clarifies the scope and validity of the free energy principle.

Abstract

In this comment on "The Markov blanket trick: On the scope of the free energy principle and active inference" by Raja and colleagues (2021) in Physics of Life Reviews, I argue that the argument presented by the authors is valid; however, I claim that the argument contains a flawed premise, which undermines their conclusions. In addition, I argue that work on the FEP that has appeared since the target paper was published underwrites a cogent response to the issues that are raised by Raja and colleagues.