Mind Matters | Natural and Artificial Intelligence News and Analysis

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Denyse O'Leary
Date
June 18, 2026

Categorized
Panpsychism, Plant Mind, Politics

Tagged
Animism, Hard Problem of consciousness (as not so hard), Natalie Lawrence, Paco Calvo, Planta Sapiens (2022), Plants as conscious}

Consciousness in Plants Rebrands an Exploded Materialism

_{It’s not so much that consciousness in plants is being demonstrated as that what consciousness means is changing so as to include plants} _{Denyse O'Leary
June 18, 2026

5

Panpsychism, Plant Mind, Politics}

Cozy morning with coffee and a book by the sunny window with plants

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post

Denyse O'Leary
Date
June 17, 2026

Categorized
Artificial general intelligence (AGI), Politics

Tagged
Accelerationism, Ceci Cohen, Christina Grube, Michael Ramsey, Paul Eckloff, Tycen Proper, UFC Freedom 250 fest terror plot}

Accelerationists Fingered in White House Drone Attack Plot

_{There is nothing like a terror plot, foiled or otherwise, to bring an obscure concept like “accelerationism” to public attention} _{Denyse O'Leary
June 17, 2026

5

Artificial general intelligence (AGI), Politics}

crowd of individuals is sprinting away from a fiery explosion in the city, engulfed in smoke and chaos, showcasing a desperate flight from danger in a dramatic setting

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post

Richard W. Stevens
Date
June 15, 2026

Categorized
Philosophy

Tagged
Featured, god, Michael Shermer, Objectivity, truth}

Shermer’s Truth: When “Myside Bias” Becomes the Method

_{First pass finds easy readability, subpar scholarship, and a polemical agenda} _{Richard W. Stevens
June 15, 2026

6

Philosophy}

^{Type
post

Georgios Mappouras
Date
June 15, 2026

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Large Language Models (LLMs)

Tagged
Algorithmic novelty, Chess engines, Evolutionary algorithms, Horizontal innovation}

Horizontal Innovation Requires More Than Novel Outputs

_{Current AI systems excel at producing output novelty, but I do not believe they demonstrate algorithmic novelty} _{Georgios Mappouras
June 15, 2026

5

Artificial Intelligence, Large Language Models (LLMs)}

LLM, AI Large Language Model concept. Businessman use tablet and laptop with LLM icons. A language model distinguished by its general-purpose language generation capability. Chat AI.

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post

Gary Smith
Date
June 15, 2026

Categorized
Business and Finance, Large Language Models (LLMs)

Tagged
Charles Kindleberger (1910-2003), Featured}

Speculation in Large Language Models: The Worst Sort of Business

_{Speculators buy an asset because they expect the price to keep rising, not because they want the income generated by the asset} _{Gary Smith
June 15, 2026

5

Business and Finance, Large Language Models (LLMs)}

Money inside shimmering bubbles floating in an uncertain financial market Large space for text in center Stock Photo with copy space

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Robert J. Marks
Date
June 15, 2026

Categorized
Logic

Tagged
Monday Microsofties}

Monday Micro Softy 83: A Swarm of Cowards?

_{In terms of swarm intelligence, what happens if we have a swarm of cowards instead of peacemakers?} _{Robert J. Marks
June 15, 2026

7

Logic}

Pheidole megacephala, coastal brown big-headed ants foraging on a rock. A common invasive, pest species.

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post

Denyse O'Leary
Date
June 14, 2026

Categorized
Artificial general intelligence (AGI), Human exceptionalism, Philosophy of Mind

Tagged
Accelerationism, Mark Andreessen, Nick Land, Ray Kurzweil, Vincent Lê}

Future? There Is No Human Future, Dude… and That’s Good!

_{A look at the other face of the claims that we are approaching an AI singularity} _{Denyse O'Leary
June 14, 2026

5

Artificial general intelligence (AGI), Human exceptionalism, Philosophy of Mind}

mission over, a robot stands at the grave of man

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post

Gary Varner
Date
June 13, 2026

Categorized
Arts & Culture

Tagged
AI, Cinema, Disney, YouTube}

YouTubers V The Mandalorian

_{I can’t remember the last time there have only been two or three seats remaining in a theater} _{Gary Varner
June 13, 2026

7

Arts & Culture}

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post

Peter Biles
Date
June 12, 2026}

Smartphones Have Contributed to the Declining Fertility Rate, Says New Study

_{It's easier these days to stay inside and on a screen instead of going outside and trying to meet people} _{Peter Biles
June 12, 2026

3}

Silhouette of a person trapped inside a giant smartphone screen symbolizing digital addiction 19887577 1

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post

Denyse O'Leary
Date
June 12, 2026

Categorized
Philosophy of Mind

Tagged
Alex Rosenberg, Carlo Rovelli, David A. Oakley, Harry G. Frankfurt, Immortal Mind (Worthy 2025), Joe Gough, Michael Egnor, On Bullshit (2005), Patricia Churchland, Peter L. Halligan, Thomas Metzinger}

Why Do Smart People Think Their Minds Are an Illusion?

_{A belief that makes no sense is a cornerstone of much neuroscience and philosophy of mind} _{Denyse O'Leary
June 12, 2026

5

Philosophy of Mind}

^{Type
post

Wesley J. Smith
Date
June 12, 2026

Categorized
Ethics, Medicine and Health

Tagged
Assisted Suicide, Gallup Poll on moral acceptability, Polls}

Americans of Two Minds About the ‘Moral Acceptability’ of Suicide

_{A recent Gallup survey found that most considered suicide morally unacceptable — unless doctors are involved} _{Wesley J. Smith
June 12, 2026

3

Ethics, Medicine and Health}

Vial With Pentobarbital Used For Euthanasia And Lethal Inyecion In A Hospital

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post

Denyse O'Leary
Date
June 10, 2026

Categorized
Philosophy of Mind, Physics

Tagged
Anil Seth (on Hard Problem of consciousness), Carlo Rovelli, David Chalmers, Hard Problem of consciousness (as not so hard), Tim Bayne}

Can We Talk the Hard Problem of Consciousness Out of Existence?

_{A prominent theoretical physicist thinks it is worth a try} _{Denyse O'Leary
June 10, 2026

5

Philosophy of Mind, Physics}

Man in surreal maze, facing labyrinth challenge, complex problem decision, strategy for success, concept of life obstacles and solutions

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post

Richard W. Stevens
Date
June 10, 2026

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence

Tagged
GhatGPT, Legal action, Parental supervision, Surveillance, Verifying age}

Florida Hails a Surveillance Regime to Corral Renegade AI

_{Irony: You’ll need to surrender your privacy to government or multi-national AI before you can use AI that tracks you anyway} _{Richard W. Stevens
June 10, 2026

5

Artificial Intelligence}

Giant surveillance camera spies a man. No secrets, no privacy concept. 3D rendering

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post

Robert J. Marks
Date
June 8, 2026

Categorized
Animal mind, Artificial Intelligence

Tagged
Emergent behavior, Featured, Swarm intelligence, Termites (swarm intelligence)}

Monday Micro Softy 82: When Bugs Break Up Fights…

_{A surprising amount of intelligence of use in the computer industry can be learned from watching insects} _{Robert J. Marks
June 8, 2026

7

Animal mind, Artificial Intelligence}

Ants replicate intricate teamwork and precision like a circuit board, symbolizing tech innovation and development.

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post

News
Date
June 7, 2026

Categorized
Plant Mind

Tagged
Arbor Day Foundation, Kat McGowan, Massimo (X), Plant communications systems, Suzanne Simard, The Secret Life of Plants (1978), Theresa Machemer}

Hush! A Forest Organizes Itself in a Non-Darwinian Way

_{Plants co-operate as well as compete — though that doesn’t mean they are conscious} _{News
June 7, 2026

5

Plant Mind}

cathedral douglas fir grove illustration british landscape, green tree, vancouver trail cathedral douglas fir grove

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post

Denyse O'Leary
Date
June 7, 2026

Categorized
Neuroscience, Philosophy of Mind

Tagged
Dementia, Four Strong Winds (song 1961), Hyperthymesia, Ian Tyson, Memory}

Why Memories Cannot Really Be “Stored” Anywhere

_{A song might capture the immaterial nature of memory} _{Denyse O'Leary
June 7, 2026

5

Neuroscience, Philosophy of Mind}

^{Type
post

Gary Varner
Date
June 6, 2026

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence

Tagged
AI, god, Love, Objective values, Reality, Robot}

AI: Artificial Intelligence Review Part 13: What is Value?

_{Ducks do not debate the existence of God, nor do they build skyscrapers} _{Gary Varner
June 6, 2026

9

Artificial Intelligence}

A humanoid robot philosopher contemplating the nature of consciousness in a virtual reality chamber, abstract digital environment with neural networks and philosophical texts, Innovative style

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post

Wesley J. Smith
Date
June 5, 2026

Categorized
Ethics, Medicine and Health

Tagged
Biotechnology, CRISPR, Designer babies, He Jiankui, Kathie Tie}

Do We Have the Will (or Desire) to Prevent Biotechnological Anarchy?

_{A long piece in The Guardian illustrates the stakes we face} _{Wesley J. Smith
June 5, 2026

6

Ethics, Medicine and Health}

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News
Date
June 4, 2026

Categorized
Neuroscience, Philosophy of Mind

Tagged
Localization theory, Memory, Michael Egnor, On the Memory of the Soul (2026), Paradoxical lucidity, Terminal lucidity, Victoria Trumbull}

Philosopher: Memories Are Not “Stored” in the Brain

_{Memory is a function of time, not place, says Oxford's Victoria Trumbull} _{News
June 4, 2026

6

Neuroscience, Philosophy of Mind}

^{Type
post

Don Barger
Date
June 3, 2026

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Religion

Tagged
Don Barger, Featured, Innnovation, Leo XIV (Pope), Magnifica Humanitas}

Most Christian Innovators Have Not Read the Pope’s Letter

_{Don Barger
June 3, 2026

12

Artificial Intelligence, Religion}

Podcast