This volume investigates the fundamental nature, definition, and functional role of mental representations within the cognitive sciences. The editors, Joulia Smortchkova, Krzysztof Dołrega, and Tobias Schlicht, curate a collection of essays from leading researchers to address whether mental representations are necessary for explaining cognitive processes. The text evaluates competing theories of cognition, ranging from representationalist frameworks to enactivist and non-representational alternatives.

Experts identify this collection as a rigorous academic resource for graduate-level students and researchers in philosophy of mind. Readers frequently note the high density of the prose and the technical nature of the arguments presented.