Mind Matters
Natural and Artificial Intelligence News and Analysis
Latest Articles
Natural Intelligence Creates Information; AI Processes It
Human intelligence creates new information through free, purposeful choices, while AI can only process/transform existing data according to predetermined rules
Health Care: AI Changes Everything. But What Will the Changes Be?
A panel at COSM 2025 next month can help us separate the hope from the hype
Altman Says Adults Can Use ChatGPT to Create “Erotic” Content
Pushback against Altman's post was swift, as one might expect
On Atheism’s Watch, Rationality in Science Flew Out the Window
Why did atheists, in charge of science during the last few decades, yield the floor to irrational forces?
Different Bubbles, Different Methods of Detection: What of AI?
Circular financing is one of the signs. Even the media are beginning to catch on
Researchers Ask: What Happens After a Near-Death Experience?
The experiences themselves tend to attract attention and study. But how do they really change lives?
Podcast: Evidence For the Existence of the Human Soul
Michael Egnor and Denyse O'Leary argue that there is abundant scientific data demonstrating the immaterial existence of the human person and that this reality continues after we die
AI Psychosis and the Need for Human Exceptionalism
I pronounce you husband and chatbot?
Why Materialism Will Probably Drift Into Panpsychism
I predict that “Nothing is conscious” will be superseded, among fashionable thinkers, by “Everything is conscious.”
Monday Micro Softy 48: Why Is Freddy Pushing His Car Around?
And, despite being a heavy smoker, he doesn't get winded…
Reviewer Asks: Why Can’t We Just Go Back to Unprovable Faith?
Kathleen Stock’s witty effort to blunt the force of the evidence presented in that new French book, God, the Science, the Evidence, raises a stark question
The Science of Extraterrestrials: The Art of Keeping Hope Alive
The science literature on the topic shows an interesting and entertaining back-and-forth relationship with science fiction
AI’s Sweet Talk: How Artificial Companions Steal Our Humanity
Andrew McDiarmid and Janet Parshall discuss the sometimes tragic consequences of needy people becoming dependent on AI-fueled fantasy relationships
Time Machine (2002): When the Bad Guy is Nicer Than the Good Guy…
In Part 5 of my extended review, we get an answer to the story question: Can the traveler save Emma?
“Here’s My Number. Call Me When You Have Evidence.”
On Standing for Truth, neurosurgeon Michael Egnor describes the approach he takes to those who defend materialist theories about human beings
Contrary to Claims, Bioethics Is Not a ‘Moral Tradition’
How Many Random Blips Are Needed To Make a Human?
Just asking for a friend… no, seriously, a look at some recent news from human paleontology
Clauser at COSM: He Risked His Career to Disprove His Own Thesis
Some physicists risk their careers to discover a truth about our universe that they believe. Clauser DIDN’T believe quantum weirdness but he accepted his results
Verify, Then Trust: the Human Fixes That Make LLMs Work
Here are some examples of fixes that programmers and other workers have applied over time to large language model (LLM) bloopers
The Problem of Smith: When Mind Uploading Multiplies Identity
Briefs
Young men are losing faith in science? — Yes, but who can blame them?
The more we study our ancestors, the smarter they turn out to be
Top accounting firm tries to get AI to do the writing and… splat!
The “War on Science” as a Punch-and-Judy show
Elon Musk promises Grokipedia — a new version of Wikipedia
Life is computation? A good argument for intelligent design!
Are we looking for consciousness in the “wrong part” of the brain?
Even a worm’s brain proves hard to explain
Word of the year candidate: Angertainment
Researchers: Urgent! Math research fraud is widespread
Videos
Science Uprising 10: Asking the Impolite Questions About AI
Is It Really the End for Silicon Valley or Just a Reboot?
COSM 2021: Kai-Fu Lee Tries His Hand at Future Casting
