CategoryMathematics
Human Mind: Logic Shows Abstract Thought Is an Immaterial Power
Neuroscience evidence helps us see the spiritual nature of our minds but we can use the power of our reason to demonstrate that too
Michael Egnor on Faith, Reason, and the Architecture of Reality
In this week’s podcast, discussion with Robert J. Marks, he talks about the relationship between arguments from philosophical reasoning and faith
How the Physicalist Theory of Mind Blows Itself Up
If we examine its basic premise that the brain is a computer and the mind is software we come across a startling contradiction
Micro Softy 27: Diamond in the Rough
Why did the mathematician want all the diamond rings — hundreds of fake ones, plus a real one — divided into two bags?
Monday Micro Softy 26: Arguing with Pythagoras
Will the diagonal of a triangle with sides of 3 and 4 feet be 5 feet or, as a visiting mathematician suggests, 7 feet?
Monday Micro Softy 25: The Fishing Rod Blues
The Memphis bus driver was sympathetic but he couldn't let Johnny ride with his overlong fishing pole. Johnny solved the problem—but how?
Micro Softy Monday 24: Have You Ever Tried 3D Tic Tac Toe?
To liven up a predictable game, try doing it in three — or even four — dimensions! You won't be bored
Why the Human Mind Cannot Be Reduced to A Mathematical System
Philosophers Roger Penrose and J.R. Lucas walk us through an argument based on Gödel’s incompleteness theorem
Monday Micro Softy 23: Barnum’s Circus Receipts
Circus master Barnum's ticket seller had not kept proper track of the tickets sold. Can the limited information — and some algebra — help Barnum figure it out?
Mind Rules, Not Matter, Biologists Say — in Journal Article
They argue that simple natural processes cannot explain embryological development. Instead, biology is directed by cognition
Analysts: AIs Are Often Wrong But Never Uncertain
Gary Marcus and Ernest Davis note that getting AIs to admit uncertainty is "one of the most important *unsolved* challenges" in the field
Micro Softy 20: Which Bottle Holds the Deadly Fentanyl?
You can find out the answer, using advanced technology — but there is a price
Monday Micro Softy 19: The “Bermuda Triangle”
Why does the strange triangle, rearranged, appear to have a bit of extra area?
Monday Micro Softy 17: Mixed-up Bags of Marbles
The bags-of-marbles puzzle is comparatively simple: How many marbles must you pull from the mislabeled bags in order to relabel them correctly?
How Mathematician Kurt Gödel Proved the Unprovable Proposition
He kicked over the mathematical sandcastles of those who proposed a mathematical Theory of Everything
Monday Micro Softy 13: Garbage Trucks, String Theory…
… and Stained-Glass Windows. What connects them?
Science Writing: Dog Intelligence Compared With Baby Intelligence
It’s an odd question because what we should be asking is, “Are kittens and puppies smarter than babies?”
Monday Micro Softy 12: Can You Connect the Dots?
You may use no more than four perfectly straight lines and the lines must be connected.