Mind Matters Natural and Artificial Intelligence News and Analysis

CategoryPhysics

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Big Bang in Space, The Birth of the Universe 3d illustration

An Experimental Physicist Reacts to Pop Physics Re the Big Bang

Physicists Brian Cox and Sir Roger Penrose make a number of claims about infinite and endless universes. But how much of this is really physics? We asked Rob Sheldon
We hear so much these days about the need for more trust in science. Making science sound like a carnival of unlikely stories is not helping. Read More ›
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A man practicing mindfulness and meditation or yoga in a peaceful natural environment realistic image, ultra hd, high design very detailed

A Physicist Ponders the Nature of Consciousness

Ethan Siegel fears that we abandon science when we think that consciousness is not a material thing
If science, as interpreted by some, can’t address immaterial realities like our ability to reason and thus do science, so much the worse for that interpretation Read More ›
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Frozen creek 7

Monday Micro Softy 30: Driving a Cement Mixer

Why did the car with leaky tires suddenly start handling like a cement mixer, and then, just as suddenly, handle normally again?
Micro Softy 29 shows that unambiguous facts can be stated in confusing language but cold hard logic can solve the puzzle. Read More ›
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A man observes a wall filled with colorful sketches and notes, representing creativity and brainstorming in a workspace.

Information, Evolution & AI: A Conversation with William Dembski

In discussion with neurosurgeon Michael Egnor, Dembski stresses that AI is a tool, not a mind. Treating it otherwise leads to addiction, manipulation, and cultural decline
Information isn’t free, Dembski says, and machines aren’t magic. By remembering what makes us human, we can use technology without losing ourselves to it. Read More ›
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Supernova Galaxy 8k hype realistic. spiral galaxy in space background. background of supernova nebula and stars, glowing mysterious universe. Space texture illustration. Generative ai

Physicist: “Bad Philosophy” May Spur Search for New Physics

Carlo Rovelli points out that revolutions’ in the history of fundamental physics are more conservative than they are often depicted
It may not just be bad philosophy. It may also be a determination to believe in a universe that the evidence does not support. Read More ›
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Blue glowing quantum correlation

Has Physics Pounded a New Nail in the Coffin of Materialism?

Cognitive scientist Donald Hoffman says that matter is now known not to be fundamental but that fact is taking a while to catch on
Continued failure to materialize the mind could be the beginning of a serious reckoning with the problems that physicalism and materialism represent. Read More ›
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A red-eared slider rests on a leafy green surface with another red-eared slider on its back.

An Infinite Past Universe Rules Out Free Will. But Here’s a Catch

Such a universe is not logically possible, says Daniel Witt. That’s the “turtles all the way down” problem
“Turtles all the way down” — infinite regress — doesn’t solve the problem that everything, as a whole, is ultimately floating on something beyond itself. Read More ›
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Man holding bucket with holes leaking water

Monday Microsofty 16: The Leaky Bucket

The puzzler must decide where to place the hole for maximum distance of outward flow. And explain how the problem would change on the Moon
One hint for the solution to the hot washer problem, given here, is the old trick for getting a tight lid off a jar: Running hot water over it. Read More ›
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Silhouette of human with universe and physical, mathematical formulas

Physicists propose to test the finetuning of the universe

Their thesis is based on cosmic inflation theory and on the behavior of dark matter, whose nature remains unknown.
It is not more “metaphysical” to say that the universe shows apparent evidence of design than to say it does not. The bias in insisting otherwise is evident. Read More ›
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Brain mind way soul and hope concept art, illustration, surreal mystery artwork, imagination painting, conceptual idea of success

Is Physicalism Dead? And Is Psychology Today Here to Bury It?

Physicalism argues that the mind is simply the activities of neurons in the brain and consciousness is an illusion that they generate
A sense is growing that no matter what stunning neuroscience discoveries we make, we cannot in principle explain E = MC^2 by what Einstein had for breakfast. Read More ›
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A captivating view of a black hole in space, a dark center surrounded by a swirling disk of hot, glowing gas and dust, stars and nebulae in the background being bent by its gravity, feeling of the

Did Stephen Hawking End His Career by Giving Up on Truth?

A philosopher argues the case. But has the rejection of truth in physics spread widely into popular culture?
One element of getting to choose our private truths is that we need only notice or understand the significance of the things we want to notice or understand. Read More ›
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Beautiful girl, child, sportswoman cheerleader in uniform dancing, showing the bridge, showing the elements of gymnastics in the gym at the competition. The concept of sports, cheerleading.

Are We Now Giving Nobel Prizes to Cheerleaders?

Even though both John Hopfield and Geoffrey Hinton are brilliant researchers, there were much more obviously deserving recipients
I still find it hard to see the connection between physics and neural networks but if it's there, Paul Werbos and Bernie Widrow should have won the Nobel Prize. Read More ›
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Retro styled image of old pocket watches

When Einstein Clashed With Philosopher Bergson Over Time

Bergson’s point, back in 1922, was that clocks, however accurate, don’t read themselves; they are interpreted by conscious beings
A recent experiment claimed to have identified negative time. If that’s true, solving one mystery in science opens up a vista of… more mysteries. Read More ›
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3D rendering of graphene surface, black atoms and bonds with carbon glossy structure, glossy surface

Renowned Chemist James Tour To Speak on New “Sci-Fi” Material

Tour is speaking at COSM 2024 on his work with graphene which, despite its astounding qualities, originates in pencil lead
As developers ponder how to produce graphene in large quantities, trend watchers wonder whether Silicon Valley will one day be Graphene Valley. Read More ›
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Abstract golden particles flowing on dark background

Does a “Spiritual Particle” Explain Human Consciousness?

Before dismissing the idea as untestable, we should ask, is the idea that consciousness is an illusion, grounded in Darwinian evolution theory, testable? Read More ›
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3d white room with opened door. Brick wall

Trying To Refute Free Will Without Being Sure What It Is…

Stephen Barr offers some thoughts on neuroscientist Robert Sapolsky’s Determined, which argues against free will
Human reason could not be open abstract truths, physicist Barr notes, if it were under the complete control of physical factors, as Sapolsky believes. Read More ›
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Decision making and choosing between two paths with different outcomes. Generative AI

Can Free Will and Predestination Both Be True?

Seemingly contradictory arguments can sometimes be resolved from a higher level perspective. Quantum mechanics vs. classical physics provides an illustration
The conflict between free will and predestination disappears when considering the perspective of the almighty “I Am” vs. our human perspective. Read More ›
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The cells of the body are being attacked by bacteria. Generative AI.

Physicists: Perhaps Life Is a Unique State of Matter

A physics gathering next week at the University of Rochester will explore the significance of the fact that life, unlike non-life, needs and uses information
One question the physicists must eventually tackle is, can agency come into existence without an Agent? And how can meaning exist in a mindless universe? Read More ›
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Sand running through the bulbs of an hourglass measuring the passing time in a countdown to a deadline with copy space.

Does Time Exist? That’s Not As Clear As We Might Think

We picture a clock when we think of time but, physicists note, that’s not how we experience it as living beings
The COVID lockdowns often introduced people to a different approach to time from what they were used to, with mixed results. Read More ›