Mind Matters Natural and Artificial Intelligence News and Analysis

CategoryPhilosophy of Mind

denisovan-hunter-holding-a-staff-in-a-prehistoric-grassy-lan-1091332131-stockpack-adobestock
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.

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

Without a subhuman, the human mind has no history. That is a serious blow to any Darwinian materialist project.

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5-a-primal-cave-dweller-illuminated-by-firelight-surrounded-995941953-stockpack-adobestock
5. A primal cave dweller illuminated by firelight, surrounded by ancient cave paintings

Did Art Really Invent Humanity — as Opposed to the Other Way Around?

It’s an intriguing concept, and a welcome departure from more pedestrian claims

Art cannot have helped make us more human if we did not start out that way. And that in turn could not have happened without some impetus that was simply not granted to any other life form.

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head-of-a-woman-showing-different-states-of-mind-and-being-through-tranparency-stockpack-adobe-stock
Head of a woman - showing different states of mind and being through tranparency

Is the Mind Reducible to the Brain? The Debate in Krakow

Free will, abstract thought, and all the rest...?

The debate in Krakow, Poland, sponsored by education foundation Fundacja En Arche is now available, with translation, at YouTube.

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spread-of-digital-brain-connections-artificial-intelligence-559427407-stockpack-adobestock
spread of digital brain connections. Artificial intelligence and the idea of neural networks. Concept for mapping the brain's neuronal connections and connectome. Generative AI

Is “The brain is a computer!” One of Science’s Biggest Mistakes?

If so, the mistake throws a wrench into claims that conscious computers can ever be built

The messy processes of the brain that enable the various layers of consciousness bear no relationship to what happens in computers.

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captivating-close-up-portrait-of-a-shorthair-cat-with-expres-1024538335-stockpack-adobestock
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

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?"

We can’t do more than wonder but the main thing to see here is that the special position of humans might enable it.

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brain-shaped-maze-concept-image-of-study-and-brain-behavior-412707779-stockpack-adobestock
Brain shaped maze. Concept image of study and brain behavior.

Consciousness is not a problem to be solved

It’s not even a problem that CAN be solved. It is an experience to be lived and it did not randomly evolve

Consciousness is an immaterial creation given only to human beings to enable us to have a relationship with a higher power and to understand our universe better.

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consciousness-intelligence-brain-neuron-generative-ai-stockp-587106474-stockpack-adobestock
consciousness intelligence, brain neuron generative ai

Science Can Fully Explain Consciousness? By 326 Theories…

To call consciousness studies a degenerating paradigm might be too charitable. How much of it rises to the level of falsification?

It’s supposed to be a given that machines or brain organoids might be conscious despite not knowing what that is or how it works — but preborn children can’t be…

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dented-car-wing-and-fender-with-scratches-and-bumps-after-cr-448422384-stockpack-adobestock
Dented car wing and fender with scratches and bumps after crash and car accident with hit-and-run driving and absconding shows need for car insurance and safety protection and mechanics garage service

On Free Will and Morality, Jerry Coyne Doesn’t Walk His Talk

This is part of my response to his critique of a talk I gave in March at the 2026 Dallas Conference on Science and Faith

Everyone believes in free will, including Coyne. He writes sophistry denying free will but he rails at the moral reprobate who dented his fender.

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surgery-anesthesia-and-doctor-with-woman-with-oxygen-mask-fo-636901246-stockpack-adobestock
Surgery, anesthesia and doctor with woman with oxygen mask for medical service, operation and procedure. Healthcare, hospital and surgeons with gas, breathing and ventilation equipment for patient

Are We Really “Unconscious” While Under Anesthesia?

Modern medics rely very much on anesthesia but how it works is not quite clear

Part of the reason we don’t know exactly how anesthesia works is surely that we do not know what consciousness is (there are at least 325 theories out there).

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body-mind-soul-spirit-motivational-words-quotes-concept-stoc-1110324376-stockpack-adobestock
Body Mind Soul Spirit, Motivational Words Quotes Concept

what makes a thought start?

When a doctor is taunted for his lack of knowledge of consciousness and the soul

Good dialogue is like great poetry where the real meaning can sometimes be hidden or disguised beneath the words.

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mission-over-a-robot-stands-at-the-grave-of-man-stockpack-ad-349542895-stockpack-adobestock
mission over, a robot stands at the grave of man

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

Lê’s essay offers a much more sober assessment of transhumanism, the war on human exceptionalism, and the idea that machines think like people.

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womans-head-hidden-by-a-soft-cloud-stockpack-adobe-stock-150476232-stockpack-adobestock
Woman's head hidden by a soft cloud

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

Michael Egnor comments that academics often hold such beliefs because they make them sound clever, not because they make sense.

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man-in-surreal-maze-facing-labyrinth-challenge-complex-probl-626634793-stockpack-adobestock
Man in surreal maze, facing labyrinth challenge, complex problem decision, strategy for success, concept of life obstacles and solutions

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

A prominent theoretical physicist thinks it is worth a try

We don’t have a reason to expect the eliminative materialism Carlo Rovelli recommends, which has not helped in the past, to be more help in the future.

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love-song-stockpack-adobe-stock-311614-stockpack-adobestock
love song

Why Memories Cannot Really Be “Stored” Anywhere

A song might capture the immaterial nature of memory

Where exactly is a popular song located? It lives in memory, human and recorded, in many forms. But it occupies no spatial location.

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memories-stockpack-adobe-stock-18420385-stockpack-adobestock
Memories

Philosopher: Memories Are Not “Stored” in the Brain

Memory is a function of time, not place, says Oxford's Victoria Trumbull

Neurosurgeon Michael Egnor agrees; the image of storing and erasing memories is popular due to computer technology but not relevant to memory.

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single-naked-flame-in-black-space-stockpack-adobe-stock-203509572-stockpack-adobestock
Single naked flame in black space.

What Do People Who Are Conscious But Lack a Cortex Demonstrate?

Consciousness does not necessarily reside in the cortex, as is commonly assumed

Neuroplasticity is a very interesting and important area of research. But the careless and casual attribution of unexpected mental states to it is junk science.

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businessman-using-virtual-metaverse-and-future-digital-techn-717435569-stockpack-adobestock
Businessman using virtual metaverse and future digital technology , Virtual Global Internet connection network with AI Artificial Intelligence digital

The Pope Just Weighed In On AI

If your religious organization doesn’t yet have a theology of AI, start building one because the conversation is already happening without you

The question isn’t whether AI will harm us. The question is actually whether we will remain human.

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portrait-dun-homo-erectus-assis-et-regardant-le-coucher-du-s-845655116-stockpack-adobestock
Portrait d'un Homo erectus assis et regardant le coucher du soleil

Ancient Humans Have Been Getting Smarter, It Seems

That’s the conclusion I drew from reading about recent research in paleontology

Technology has a history but the human mind does not. We see it where we see it.

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a-photorealistic-view-of-an-abstract-puzzle-with-a-magnifyin-1417289590-stockpack-adobestock
A photorealistic view of an abstract puzzle with a magnifying glass highlighting a missing piece shaped like a question mark, symbolizing problem-solving and critical thinking.

Why Egnor Finds Neuroscientists’ Lack of Curiosity “Unbelievable”

It seems as if they simply do not want to know about findings that challenge materialism

Unfortunately, some of them spend a lot of time trying to discredit people who are willing to look at these questions.

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family-of-ancient-neanderthal-people-in-cave-close-up-man-wo-662879066-stockpack-adobestock
Family of ancient Neanderthal people in cave close-up, man, woman and child with long matted hair dressed in animal skins

We need to catch up with the Neanderthals!

A number of interesting new findings and discussions have appeared — on everything from their dentistry to bear worship

Some of the Neanderthals’ practices around skulls suggest that they followed a belief system.

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