PT - JOURNAL ARTICLE AU - Alex Gomez-Marin AU - Zachary F Mainen TI - Expanding perspectives on cognition in humans, animals, and machines AID - 10.1101/037192 DP - 2016 Jan 01 TA - bioRxiv PG - 037192 4099 - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2016/01/19/037192.short 4100 - http://biorxiv.org/content/early/2016/01/19/037192.full AB - Over the past decade neuroscience has been attacking the problem of cognition with increasing vigor. Yet, what exactly is cognition, beyond a general signifier of anything seemingly complex the brain does? Here, we briefly review attempts to define, describe, explain, build, enhance and experience cognition. We highlight perspectives including psychology, molecular biology, computation, dynamical systems, machine learning, behavior and phenomenology. This survey of the landscape reveals not a clear target for explanation but a pluralistic and evolving scene with diverse opportunities for grounding future research. We argue that rather than getting to the bottom of it, over the next century, by deconstructing and redefining cognition, neuroscience will and should expand rather than merely reduce our concept of the mind.