The metaphysics of enculturated brain: Re-evaluating contemporary neuroscientific research from the perspective of continental philosophy

Cultural neuroscience, a newly formed discipline of brain research, shows that the brain is functionally and structurally influenced by our daily practices and the culture we live in. These studies have created the concept of the enculturated brain, in which culture and biology are inseparably intertwined. From the perspective of this concept, the brain seems a hybrid of both biology/nature and culture. The aim of this study is to evaluate this peculiar metaphysical position of the enculturated brain between nature and culture. In order to explain the phenomenon of the brain enculturation through neural plasticity, the concept of second nature is offered in this thesis. The concept of second nature, taken from Hegel's philosophy, is proposed as a possibility for a new interpretation of the problem of transition from nature to culture without resorting to neither naturalism nor cultural constructivism. Habit is a second nature, which plays a central role in the transition from nature to spirit in Hegel's system. Here, the metaphysical reasons for the transition from nature to spirit are put forward and the role of habit in this transition as the second nature is shown. Thus, the concept of second nature is proposed as a solution to produce a new dialectic-plastic metaphysics that is not dualist but does not fall into a natüralist monism. Thus, it is tried to be shown that there is not a universal human nature independent from civilization and that naturalism is limited paradigm in understanding human nature. Finally, by putting the plastic nature of Hegel's philosophy and the İdea of plasticity of contemporary neurobiology into a dialogue a new version of non-natüralist materialist ontology and critical theory is suggested. Keywords: Enculturated brain, second nature, habit, LTP, plasticity, Hegel, metaphysics, universals, naturalism, nature-culture relation, subjectivity, organism, life, history, spirit