CategoryPhilosophy of Mind
The Explicitly Human Experience of Growing Up as a Twin
A philosopher muses on growing up as one of a set of two people
Reflections on “Are Atoms Conscious?” and Philip Goff
Can we admit consciousness without giving into theism?
Everyday Evidence of the Mind’s Reality: the Placebo Effect
The placebo effect — you get better because you think you will — may be getting stronger, as researchers manipulate it more effectively
The Free Will Debate Really Heated Up This Year
Many commentators are weighing in; surprisingly, perhaps, well-known materialists are disputing the claim that there is no free will
Will Neuroscience Ever Accommodate Immaterial Consciousness?
Joseph Green offers an informative account in Minding the Brain of the current state of neuroscience. What we now know is remarkable — but so is what we don’t
Only an Immaterial Mind Can Ask “How Does Life Work?”
Science writer Philip Ball, facing cancer surgery, struggles to find meaning and purpose in a wholly material world. He is looking in the wrong place
Yes, the Film on Near-Death Experiences Is Another “Hated Hit”
As with Sound of Freedom, critics trashed After Death but audiences loved it. And the critics just aren’t keeping up with the science
Footwear From Over 75,000 Years Ago? Some Fascinating Hints
Some researchers focus on changes in human foot bones, others on evidence of foot protection on ancient trackways
When Did Humans First Start Burying the Dead?
One of the things paleontologists look for is special care taken in the placement of the deceased's body
Why are eccentric theories of consciousness tolerated?
Even prominent theorists have held eccentric theories of consciousness. It stems from the apparent impossibility of deriving human consciousness from the material substances of the brain
Can Roger Penrose Explain Consciousness Through Physics?
The Nobel Laureate physicist makes clear that he only wants a theory of human consciousness if the explanation comes down to physics
Neuroscience Has Never Provided Much Evidence for Materialism
In a chapter of the new book, Minding the Brain, neurosurgeon Michael Egnor points out that many great neuroscientists were non-materialists
How Could Human Consciousness “Evolve”?
Human consciousness entails a unique human ability to think abstractly .
Modern Neuroscience Does NOT Disprove Free Will
In a chapter of Minding the Brain (2023), Cristi L. S. Cooper looks at the current state of neuroscience research on free will
The Mirror Test: The Key to a Sense of Self?
When fish and ants pass the test for “a higher sense of self” — but dogs and even kids in some cultures don’t — we should ask some questions
Researchers: Conscious Experience May Occur Near Time of Birth
Researchers generally stress that the unborn child’s brain is in a rapid, ongoing, and little understood state of development
Psychology: When a Child and a Chimp Were Raised Together…
When their son was ten months old, a psychologist couple decided to raise him alongside a baby female chimpanzee, for research purposes
Science of Consciousness: The Elephant in the Room
Science has had great success in explaining many functions of living organisms in purely material terms. So why not consciousness?