Mind Matters | Natural and Artificial Intelligence News and Analysis

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post

Wesley J. Smith
Date
August 20, 2026

Categorized
Environment, Law

Tagged
Jan van de Venis, Nature rights Artistic Expression pathway, Nature rights Legal Integration pathway, Nature rights Representation pathway, Nature rights Systemic Work pathway, The Water Diplomat}

The Language May Be Mild — But the Nature Rights Are Radical

_{The nature rights movement's seeming mildness sedates some people into wrongly thinking that their cause is not an acute threat to human liberty and flourishing} _{Wesley J. Smith
August 20, 2026

6

Environment, Law}

Creative double exposure portrait of attractive woman with beautiful landscape. International Mother Earth Day. Environmental problems and protection. Caring for nature

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post

Richard W. Stevens
Date
August 19, 2026

Categorized
Law, Psychology

Tagged
Eyewitness testimony (reliability), Featured, John T. Wixted, Memory and eyewitness testimony, National Academy of Sciences}

Eyewitness Memory: Fallible Doesn’t Mean Worthless

_{It’s not about poor memories – it’s about asking neutral questions early and getting details known only to witnesses on site} _{Richard W. Stevens
August 19, 2026

7

Law, Psychology}

Tense courtroom moment showing a young man in a red robe being questioned, with a lawyer in the background gesturing assertively. The dramatic atmosphere suggests cross-examination

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post

Denyse O'Leary
Date
August 19, 2026

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Business and Finance, Law, Science

Tagged
AI and job loss, AI hype, Chris Stokel-Walker, Colleen McClain, Dario Amodei, Dawn Song, Eugenie Park, Featured, Gary Marcus, Matthew Lynn, Owen Dahlkamp, Sebastian Pios, Will Knight}

AI: A Boon or a Bane? Misunderstood, or Misused?

_{Pew Research finds that young people are losing faith in a glorious AI future. They have a point but...} _{Denyse O'Leary
August 19, 2026

6

Artificial Intelligence, Business and Finance, Law, Science}

abstract holographic world globe with many connection points symbolizing social media and life for business wallpaper background. Generative AI

^{Type
post

Kenneth Francis
Date
August 18, 2026

Categorized
Philosophy

Tagged
AI, employment, Hawking, Philosophy, semantics}

AI Companies are Hiring Philosophers

_{In 2010, Stephen Hawking said "philosophy is dead"} _{Kenneth Francis
August 18, 2026

6

Philosophy}

^{Type
post

Kenneth Francis
Date
August 17, 2026

Categorized
Psychology

Tagged
Gen-Z, Lyrics, Personas, Psychology, Reactions, Videos}

Human Reactions and the Masks We Wear

_{From Gen-Zs' video reactions, to flipping personas when talking to other people} _{Kenneth Francis
August 17, 2026

5

Psychology}

Holograms of masks, Hackers hiding behind digital anonymous masks, fake accounts. Concept for internet crime, fraud, cyber attack, spam, electronic theft. 3D illustration, 3D render

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post

Robert J. Marks
Date
August 17, 2026

Categorized
Logic, Mathematics, Technology

Tagged
Monday Microsofties}

Monday Microsofty 92: When the Nerd Enters a Room…

_{Shaking hands is expected. Here’s a math question about the custom, to delight the true nerds among us} _{Robert J. Marks
August 17, 2026

6

Logic, Mathematics, Technology}

^{Type
post

Denyse O'Leary
Date
August 16, 2026

Categorized
Neuroscience, Panpsychism, Philosophy of Mind

Tagged
Christof Koch, Filter model of the mind, Idealism, Near-death experiences, Peter Kreeft, Terminal lucidity, William James (1842–1910)}

Hotter water? Neuroscientist Christof Koch plans to study NDEs

_{Having survived an effort to Cancel him, he makes no further commitment to a conventional materialist view} _{Denyse O'Leary
August 16, 2026

5

Neuroscience, Panpsychism, Philosophy of Mind}

Brain head human mental idea mind 3D illustration background

^{Type
post

Kenneth Francis
Date
August 16, 2026

Categorized
Religion

Tagged
Epiphenomenalism, god, Mind over matter, Solzhenitsyn, Suffering}

God and Mind Over Matter During Human Pain

_{If epiphenomenalism were true, then Solzhenitsyn would have remained on the ground like a crashed car} _{Kenneth Francis
August 16, 2026

5

Religion}

^{Type
post

Bruce Gordon
Date
August 15, 2026

Categorized
Cosmology, Mathematics, Physics

Tagged
Betteridge’s Law, Chiara Marletto, Closer to Truth, David Albert, David Baker, David Deutsch, Dsvid Wallace, Haag’s theorem, Many-worlds interpretation, Robert Lawrence Kuhn, Universality in quantum theory}

Searching for Any World at All in the Many-Worlds Interpretation

_{If the many-worlds interpretation (multiverse theory) originated by Hugh Everett is understood realistically as it was intended to be, it can easily be rejected} _{Bruce Gordon
August 15, 2026

17

Cosmology, Mathematics, Physics}

Abstract multiverse with galaxies in the background. Generative Ai

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post

Gary Varner
Date
August 15, 2026

Categorized
Science Fiction

Tagged
Han and Chewie, Millennium Falcon, Rey, Star Wars, TIE-fighters}

Star Wars: The Force Awakens Part 8

_{The coincidences here are huge and glaring} _{Gary Varner
August 15, 2026

8

Science Fiction}

Dramatic sand storm in desert. Abstract background. Digital art.

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post

Peter Biles
Date
August 14, 2026

Categorized
Media, Politics

Tagged
60 Minutes, journalism, media, Opinion, Ross Douthat, video}

Douthat Exits New York Times, Final Podcast Hosts Biohacker Bryan Johnson

_{Should all writers be podcasters, too?} _{Peter Biles
August 14, 2026

3

Media, Politics}

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post

News
Date
August 14, 2026

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Business and Finance, Economics, Large Language Models (LLMs), Work

Tagged
Claude Shannon, Data processing inequality, Luddites, Model collapse, Ray Kurzweil, Robert J. Marks, Superintelligence, Wesley J. Smith}

Does AI Really Threaten Your Job? That Depends On Your Job

_{According to Robert J. Marks, jobs that AI won’t disrupt use the unique human attributes of understanding and creativity} _{News
August 14, 2026

6

Artificial Intelligence, Business and Finance, Economics, Large Language Models (LLMs), Work}

Woman Versus Robot In Office Job Takeover

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post

News
Date
August 14, 2026

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Business and Finance, Environment, Politics, Work

Tagged
Data centers, Ezra Levant, Gary Marcus, Gwyn Morgan, Mark Zuckerberg and censorship, Robert Bryce}

Big Tech Data Centers Are the New Big Hate

_{The growing hostility is based on environment and employment concerns and cuts across party lines} _{News
August 14, 2026

6

Artificial Intelligence, Business and Finance, Environment, Politics, Work}

new build data center, computing center in Eemshaven, Groningen, The Netherlands. hyperscaler.

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post

News
Date
August 13, 2026

Categorized
Neuroscience, Philosophy of Mind

Tagged
eliminative materialism, Michael Egnor, Pat Flynn, Patricia Churchland}

Neuroscientists Who Don’t Endorse Materialism Face Career Ruin

_{In a recent podcast with Pat Flynn, Michael Egnor offers an anecdote that shows how far the field is in the tank for materialism} _{News
August 13, 2026

4

Neuroscience, Philosophy of Mind}

Neurosurgeon preparing for brain surgery with the help of a 3D holographic brain model Stock Photo with copy space

^{Type
post

Denyse O'Leary
Date
August 13, 2026

Categorized
Archeology, Evolution, Paleontology, Philosophy of Mind, Psychology

Tagged
Amazon civilization, Featured, human evolution, Jonathan Cheng, Martti Pärssinen, Matthew Phelan, Neanderthal man, Ross Andersen, Sanxingdui civilization}

Human Evolution Needs Subhumans, and Needs Them Badly

_{Archeologists are quietly revising the human origins story in a way that does not follow a Darwinian pattern but they don’t quite come out and say it} _{Denyse O'Leary
August 13, 2026

6

Archeology, Evolution, Paleontology, Philosophy of Mind, Psychology}

Denisovan hunter holding a staff in a prehistoric grassy landscape. The face is based on a reconstruction of a female Denisovan using DNA extracted from a pinky bone discovered in Siberia.

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post

Jeffrey Funk
Date
August 10, 2026

Categorized
Artificial general intelligence (AGI)

Tagged
AI Slop, Businesses, LLMs, OpenAI, Sam Altman, Tech bros}

Did The Tech Bros Trick Us?

_{They are now trying to push through trillion-dollar IPOs} _{Jeffrey Funk
August 10, 2026

6

Artificial general intelligence (AGI)}

Caution warning sign indicates a potential error danger in the digital technology system. Symbol exclamation, system failure or trouble. Notice important website maintenance and available on internet

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post

Wesley J. Smith
Date
August 10, 2026

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence

Tagged
AI, Future, Negative and positive effects}

Robert J. Marks II on the Benefits and Potential Perils of AI

_{What does AI mean for the future of humanity?} _{Wesley J. Smith
August 10, 2026

2

Artificial Intelligence}

Detailed Close-up of an AI Chip on a Circuit Board

^{Type
post

Wesley J. Smith
Date
August 10, 2026

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Medicine and Health, Politics

Tagged
AI-created viruses, Brian Hie, Donald Trump (and AI-created viruses), Gain-of-function viruses, Peter Koo, Virus research restrictions}