CategoryPhysics
A Physicist Ponders the Nature of Consciousness
Ethan Siegel fears that we abandon science when we think that consciousness is not a material thing
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?
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
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
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
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
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
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.
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
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?
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
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
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
Does a “Spiritual Particle” Explain Human Consciousness?
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
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
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
Research: Our Brains Float Between Two Phases, Dodging Disorder
Our minds just never quite get used to that