The central goal of cognitive science is to understand the mind and mental processes, such as perception, experience, thought, memory, emotion, and communication. Cognitive science is a distinctly interdisciplinary field that connects neuroscience, psychology, philosophy, artificial intelligence, anthropology, linguistics, and first-person research on experience. However, this diversity, which gives cognitive science its richness and breadth, is also its core challenge. One of cognitive science’s main tasks is to bridge the gaps between different perspectives, levels of explanation, and disciplinary approaches to studying and understanding the mind. For example, cognitive scientists are interested not only in what happens in the brain or in subjective experience but also in how to connect these two perspectives. Understanding these phenomena within broader theoretical and philosophical frameworks is also essential. Furthermore, cognitive science often addresses deeply personal and existential questions: What do these findings mean for our understanding of ourselves as sentient, thinking beings, and how do they relate to our everyday lives? After all, cognitive science seeks to understand our own mental life, which we intimately know, experience and live. This editorial for the special issue of Ars & Humanitas, titled At the Edge of Understanding: A Dialogue on Gaps in Cognitive Science, presents a conversation between two cognitive scientists: a philosopher and a cognitive neuroscientist.
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