Mind Matters | Natural and Artificial Intelligence News and Analysis

Latest Articles

^{Type
post

Peter Biles
Date
July 20, 2026

Categorized
Education

Tagged
Featured, Literacy}

Horowitch and Harrington Chime in on the “Post-literate Society”

_{Is the age of longform reading truly over?} _{Peter Biles
July 20, 2026

5

Education}

books in colored covers swirl on a blue background, copy space

^{Type
post

Gary Smith
Date
July 20, 2026

Categorized
Economics, Education

Tagged
Cyril Northcote Parkinson (1909‒1993), Featured, Parkinson's Law, Pomona College, University bureaucracy}

Parkinson’s Law Is the Key to Understanding Bureaucratic Bloat

_{The experience of one small university offers a useful example} _{Gary Smith
July 20, 2026

6

Economics, Education}

File cabinets overflowing with orange folders and documents, symbolizing bureaucracy and disorganization

^{Type
post

Robert J. Marks
Date
July 20, 2026

Categorized
Mathematics

Tagged
Featured, Monday Microsofties}

Monday Micro Softy 88: Flipping Gold Coins

_{Computer programmers must be good at math. The solution to this week's Micro Softy uses math — but you don’t need to know the math to impress your friends} _{Robert J. Marks
July 20, 2026

5

Mathematics}

Stack of american gold coins background. US half Dollar coin with eagle. Concept of a stable banking system and economy.

^{Type
post

Jeffrey Funk
Date
July 20, 2026

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence

Tagged
Academic analyses, AI, Data centres, Microsoft, Slop, Tech bros, Zuckerberg and Palihapitiya}

Even the Tech Bros Are Turning Against AI

_{Some claim the problem is AI slop} _{Jeffrey Funk
July 20, 2026

6

Artificial Intelligence}

AI developer working on data models, surrounded by data visualizations

^{Type
post

News
Date
July 19, 2026

Categorized
Evolution, Psychology

Tagged
Darwinian Fairytales (1995), David Stove (1917-1994), Denyse O'Leary, Evolutionary psychology, Gad Saad, Michael Egnor, Suicidal Empathy (book 2026)}

Who, Exactly, Is the Subject of Evolutionary Psychology?

_{Neurosurgeon Michael Egnor and science writer Denyse O’Leary offer some thoughts about why the discipline does not make sense} _{News
July 19, 2026

6

Evolution, Psychology}

^{Type
post

Wesley J. Smith
Date
July 19, 2026

Categorized
Ethics, Medicine and Health

Tagged
Euthanasia, France}

France Legalizes Euthanasia

_{This may merely be the launching pad for an ever more expansive euthanasia regime} _{Wesley J. Smith
July 19, 2026

2

Ethics, Medicine and Health}

Vials with Sodium pentobarbital used for euthanasia and lethal inyecion in a hospital, conceptual image

^{Type
post

Robert J. Marks
Date
July 19, 2026

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence

Tagged
AI immigrants vs. natives}

With AI, It’s Verify. Then Verify the Verification

_{Advice for AI Natives} _{Robert J. Marks
July 19, 2026

5

Artificial Intelligence}

AI hallucinations and incorrect outputs. False information and fabricated contents. Businessman using generative AI on a laptop computer.

^{Type
post

Gary Varner
Date
July 18, 2026

Categorized
Cosmology

Tagged
Kylo Ren and Poe, Star Wars, Stormtroopers, The Empire}

Star Wars: The Force Awakens Review Part 4

_{Finn finds himself alone, so he begins stripping off his armor as he wanders the desert} _{Gary Varner
July 18, 2026

6

Cosmology}

^{Type
post

Denyse O'Leary
Date
July 17, 2026

Categorized
Animal mind, Philosophy of Mind

Tagged
Cats, Felines, Michael Egnor, soul}

Do Cats Have Souls? Some Reflections

_{At the close of his article, Richard Stevens asks, “As humans have an immortal mind, might some animals have such a mind beyond biology, too?"} _{Denyse O'Leary
July 17, 2026

5

Animal mind, Philosophy of Mind}

Captivating close up portrait of a shorthair cat with expressive soulful eyes set against a futuristic vibrant tetradic color scheme showcasing the natural beauty and elegance of the feline subject

^{Type
post

News
Date
July 17, 2026

Categorized
Censorship, Media, Politics, Social Media

Tagged
Ariel Zilber, Bluesky, Charlie Kirk, Elon Musk (and Twitter), Ethan Toven-Lindsey, Jack Dorsey, Justinas Vainilavičius}

Do Readers Remember Bluesky, the Kinder, Gentler Twitter?

_{It is still playing catchup in terms of user numbers} _{News
July 17, 2026

4

Censorship, Media, Politics, Social Media}

A breathtaking panoramic view of the deep blue ocean stretching to the horizon beneath a vibrant sky filled with fluffy white clouds. Gentle waves shimmer in the sunlight, creating a peaceful seascape

^{Type
post

Robert J. Marks
Date
July 16, 2026

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Science

Tagged
Featured, Measurements}

Today’s Computer Chips — Measured in Beard-Seconds

_{Could we use beard-seconds as a measurement? Actually, we could} _{Robert J. Marks
July 16, 2026

8

Artificial Intelligence, Science}

^{Type
post

Denyse O'Leary
Date
July 16, 2026

Categorized
Media

Tagged
Jimmy Wales, Jordan Boyd, Larry Sanger, Wikipedia}

So What Went Wrong With Wikipedia?

_{The whole business strikes some of us as a wildly Woke example of what can go wrong in an information society} _{Denyse O'Leary
July 16, 2026

4

Media}

^{Type
post

News
Date
July 16, 2026

Categorized
Medicine and Health

Tagged
Centenarians, David Attenborough (1926– ), Dick Van Dyke (1925–), George Burns (1896–1996), Mel Gibson (1956–)}

More humans are living to be 100 years of age

_{It is a logical outcome of a general improvement in health care} _{News
July 16, 2026

3

Medicine and Health}

^{Type
post

News
Date
July 15, 2026

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Media

Tagged
A. N. Wilson, C. S. Lewis, Magician's Nephew (Lewis 1966), Magician’s Twin (book 2012), Magician’s Twin phrase}

Who Coined the Phrase “the Magician’s Twin”?

_{The pitfalls of relying on AI for your facts} _{News
July 15, 2026

3

Artificial Intelligence, Media}

Frustrated professional struggling with unreliable AI chatbot responses at night office

^{Type
post

Georgios Mappouras
Date
July 13, 2026

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence

Tagged
Nick Bostrom, Recursion problem, Simulation hypothesis}

Do We Really Live in an AI Simulation?

_{A formal logical analysis explains why the hypothesis is self-undermining} _{Georgios Mappouras
July 13, 2026

8

Artificial Intelligence}

Digital twin technology illustration of an airplane with holographic simulation model, representing aviation, flight simulation, aerospace innovation, and smart maintenance ai new

^{Type
post

Robert J. Marks
Date
July 13, 2026

Categorized
Mathematics

Tagged
Alan Turing, code-breaking, Sherlock Holmes}

Monday Micro Softy 87: Are You As Good a Detective As You Think?

_{Here’s a test from the world of codebreaking} _{Robert J. Marks
July 13, 2026

7

Mathematics}

^{Type
post

Casey Luskin
Date
July 12, 2026

Categorized
Evolution, Neuroscience

Tagged
brain, Evolution}

Science Journal: Humans’ Big Brains Evolved “For No Particular Reason”?

_{The human brain, the most complex object in the known universe, arose “for no particular reason”?} _{Casey Luskin
July 12, 2026

5

Evolution, Neuroscience}

Evolution of the human brain from a smaller, primitive brain to the larger, more complex brain of modern humans

^{Type
post

Wesley J. Smith
Date
July 12, 2026

Categorized
Ethics, Medicine and Health

Tagged
Assisted Suicide, Dead donor rule, Euthanasia, New England Journal of Medicine, Organ transplantation, Robert D. Truog}

‘Death by Organ Donation’ Pushed in New England Journal of Medicine

_{Killing for organs can quickly become the primary reason for granting someone’s request to die “as a plum to society” (as I predicted back in 1993)} _{Wesley J. Smith
July 12, 2026

5

Ethics, Medicine and Health}

Medical professional carefully carries an organ transplant container down a hospital corridor, hoping to give someone a second chance at life

^{Type
post

News
Date
July 11, 2026

Categorized
Cosmology

Tagged
Fine tuning (initial conditions of universe), Kaluza-Klein theory, Michael Egnor, Multiverse theory, Pleonastic fallacy}

Claims for a Multiverse Violate Basic Logic

_{Michael Egnor: To account for the fine-tuning of our universe, many thinkers claim, without evidence, that there are innumerable universes. But they won’t accept the existence of God} _{News
July 11, 2026

4

Cosmology}

A Genuine Science-Based Debate About Near-Death Experiences?

Maybe Being a Loner Helps the Octopus Be Smart?

Are Fictionbots Triumphing Over Writers?

Latest Articles

Horowitch and Harrington Chime in on the “Post-literate Society”

Parkinson’s Law Is the Key to Understanding Bureaucratic Bloat

Monday Micro Softy 88: Flipping Gold Coins

Even the Tech Bros Are Turning Against AI

Who, Exactly, Is the Subject of Evolutionary Psychology?

France Legalizes Euthanasia

With AI, It’s Verify. Then Verify the Verification

Star Wars: The Force Awakens Review Part 4

Do Cats Have Souls? Some Reflections

Today’s Computer Chips — Measured in Beard-Seconds

So What Went Wrong With Wikipedia?

More humans are living to be 100 years of age

Who Coined the Phrase “the Magician’s Twin”?

Do We Really Live in an AI Simulation?

Monday Micro Softy 87: Are You As Good a Detective As You Think?

Science Journal: Humans’ Big Brains Evolved “For No Particular Reason”?

‘Death by Organ Donation’ Pushed in New England Journal of Medicine

Claims for a Multiverse Violate Basic Logic

Podcast

How Cognitive Principles Can Inform Better Technological Design

Briefs

Orcas surprise researchers by exploding dead sunfish

Neanderthals are still getting smarter…

Interoception: Is it really a new sixth sense?

Relax. You do NOT have a lizard brain

Authors be warned: AI scams are much cleverer today

Can a pagan religion thrive without a supernatural element?

Who expected this? Luddites are Cool now?

Did a bot retract Max Planck’s papers?

SpringerNature sells Scientific American to Canadian firm

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

Ari Emanuel, COSM 2021: Movie Nite’s Changed; It’s Not Just COVID