Category: Science | Page 26

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post

News
Date
October 20, 2020

Categorized
Information Theory, Neuroscience, Philosophy of Mind, Science

Tagged
free will, Materialism, Minority Report (film), Physics, Surprisal}

Do We Really Have Free Will? Four Things to Know

_{Free will makes more sense of our world than determinism and science certainly allows for it} _{News
October 20, 2020

7

Information Theory, Neuroscience, Philosophy of Mind, Science}

Free will is a contentious topic in science these days. Theoretical physicists weigh in sharply on one side or the other. Just this month, based on quantum mechanics, mathematician Tim Andersen says maybe and theoretical physicist Sabine Hossenfelder says no. Based on cosmology, the study of our universe, physicist George Ellis said yes last June. With free will, as with consciousness, we don’t fully understand what’s involved. All insights from science are partial so we can’t look to science for a definitive answer. But maybe science can offer some hints. Here are four that might be helpful: 1.Has psychology shown that free will does not really exist? Psychological research on free will has supported the concept of free will but Read More ›

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Eric Holloway
Date
October 14, 2020

Categorized
Information Theory, Science

Tagged
Convergent evolution, Evolution, Featured, Invention}

To What Extent Does Life Simply Invent Itself As It Goes Along?

_{The evidence may surprise us} _{Eric Holloway
October 14, 2020

6

Information Theory, Science}

According to a popular anti-creationist website Talk Origins, one of the strongest pieces of evidence for evolution and common descent is the phylogenetic signal. In their view, when we look at specific properties across multiple species — number of legs, presence or absence of wings, the presence of a gene, a configuration of nucleotides in the genome, etc. — such properties will form a strongly nested hierarchy. We should expect to see such a strongly nested hierarchy if organisms evolved from one another and therefore a “family tree” links all the organisms together. However, if a property that appears only on a branch, it will be shared only by that branch’s leaves. Leaves on a different branch will not have Read More ›

Stethoscope on an old book of medicine, conceptual image

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post

Robert J. Marks
Date
October 13, 2020

Categorized
Science

Tagged
Consensus science, Correlation vs causation, Eugenics, Featured, Michael Crichton, Politics, Racism, Spurious Correlations (website)}

Should We Really “Listen to Science”? What Should We Listen For?

_{Politicians who insist that their beliefs represent science might be surprised by the checkered history of that view} _{Robert J. Marks
October 13, 2020

7

Science}

This political season, politicians are telling us to “listen to science.” But buyer beware. The politicization of science is a long and sad history of so-called “scientific truths” that were not only mistaken but resulted in tragedy. Those who know a bit of this history should be wary of politicians’ table-pounding claims on topics ranging from climate change to COVID. In a 2003 lecture at Caltech, Michael Crichton, MD (pictured in 2002, courtesy Jon Chase CC BY-SA 3.0), author of great science fiction including Jurassic Park, noted, “science has in some instances been seduced by the more ancient lures of politics and publicity.” For example, racism was “settled science” in the early 20th century. So was eugenics, the so-called science Read More ›

The region 30 Doradus lies in the Large Magellanic Cloud galaxy.

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post

News
Date
October 10, 2020

Categorized
Arts & Culture, Science

Tagged
Alexander Vilenkin, Carl Sagan, Copernican Principle, Extraterrestrials (ET), Frank Drake, Guillermo Gonzalez, Matt Williams, Peter Ward, Principle of Mediocrity, Privileged Planet hypothesis, Rare Earth hypothesis, Science fiction}

Maybe There Are Just Very Few Aliens Out There…

_{The Rare Earth hypothesis offers science-based reasons that life in the universe is rare} _{News
October 10, 2020

10

Arts & Culture, Science}

Recently, science and science fiction writer Matt Williams has been writing a series at Universe Today on why extraterrestrial intelligences never make contact with us. Last week, we looked at the hypothesis that, to avoid the heat destruction of their advanced technology, the aliens have put themselves into a digital slumber until the universe cools down. This week, let’s look at a quite different approach, which Williams outlines in “Beyond “Fermi’s Paradox” IV: What is the Rare Earth Hypothesis?” (July 29, 2020): That is “the possibility that life-bearing planets like Earth are just very rare.” We don’t see aliens because they are very uncommon: This is what is popularly known as the “Rare Earth Hypothesis,” which argues that the emergence Read More ›

Tumor cell under attack of white blood cells

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post

News
Date
October 7, 2020

Categorized
Natural Intelligence, Science

Tagged
Bacteria as living computers, Cell (biology), Cell intelligence, Consciousness, Featured, intelligence, Michael Denton, Miracle of the Cell (book), Sentience}

Why Do Many Scientists See Cells as Intelligent?

_{Bacteria appear to show intelligent behavior. But what about individual cells in our bodies?} _{News
October 7, 2020

4

Natural Intelligence, Science}

Recently, we talked about the ways in which bacteria are intelligent. Researchers into antibiotic resistance must deal with the surprisingly complex ways bacteria “think” in order to counter them. For example, some bacteria may warn others while dying from antibiotics. But what about individual cells in our bodies? A skeptic might say that bacteria are, after all, individual entities like dogs or cats. There is evidence that individual life forms can show intelligence even with no brain. But dependent cells? Surprisingly, cells that are not independent at all but part of a body can also show something that looks like intelligence, as Michael Denton discusses in Miracle of the Cell (2020): No one who has observed a leucocyte (a white Read More ›

Cells under a microscope. Cell division. Cellular Therapy. 3d illustration on a dark background

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post

News
Date
October 1, 2020

Categorized
Information Theory, Science

Tagged
Cell (biology), Elon Musk, Featured, Jonathan Bartlett, Michael Denton, Miracle of the Cell (book)}

New Book: Our Bodies’ Cells Are a “Third Infinity” of Information

_{If the first cell somehow morphed into existence without the ability to reproduce, it would also have been the last cell.} _{News
October 1, 2020

3

Information Theory, Science}

Recently, computer engineer and philosopher Jonathan Bartlett pointed out that Elon Musk has inadvertently highlighted the biggest problem with origin of life studies: How life originated is not as difficult a question as how it originated with the ability to reproduce. If the first cell somehow morphed into existence without the ability to reproduce, it would also have been the last cell. The only cell, in fact. Musk, as it happens, was talking about the production of cars when he tweeted, “The machine that makes the machine is vastly harder than the machine itself.” He estimated “1000% to 10,000% harder.” Indeed, and that’s also true of the cells that comprise just about every living being. Our cells not only live Read More ›

Abstract 3d render, geometric composition, yellow background design with cubes

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post

News
Date
September 30, 2020

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Science

Tagged
Big Data, Carmen Reinhart, Featured, Gary Smith, Jay Cordes, Ken Rogoff, Patterns, Phantom Pattern Problem (book), Science Journals}

Interview: New Book Outlines the Perils of Big (Meaningless) Data

_{Gary Smith, co-author with Jay Cordes of Phantom Patterns, shows why human wisdom and common sense are more important than ever now} _{News
September 30, 2020

5

Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Science}

Economist Gary Smith and statistician Jay Cordes have a new book out, The Phantom Pattern Problem: The mirage of big data, on why we should not trust Big Data over common sense. In their view, it’s a dangerous mix: Humans naturally assume that all patterns are significant. But AI cannot grasp the meaning of any pattern, significant or not. Thus, from massive number crunches, we may “learn” (if that’s the right word) that Stock prices can be predicted from Google searches for the word debt. Stock prices can be predicted from the number of Twitter tweets that use “calm” words. An unborn baby’s sex can be predicted by the amount of breakfast cereal the mother eats. Bitcoin prices can be Read More ›

Entrance gate to Persepolis Persia Iran Gate of All Nations

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News
Date
September 24, 2020

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Arts & Culture, Machine Learning, Religion, Science

Tagged
Archeology, Featured, Mesopotamia, Neural networks, Predictive text, Rob Sheldon}

How Much Can New AI Tell Us About Ancient Times?

_{An ambitious new project hopes to use the predictive text that cell phones use to unlock their stories} _{News
September 24, 2020

9

Artificial Intelligence, Arts & Culture, Machine Learning, Religion, Science}

Many researchers hope that AI will leading to a“golden age” of discovery for lost languages, hard to decipher writings, and badly damaged Biblical scrolls. Algorithms can chug through vast numbers of possibilities of interpretation, presenting the scholar with probabilities to choose from. But even powerful algorithms have their work cut out for them. For example, of the hundreds of thousands of clay (cuneiform) tablets that survive from an ancient part of the Near East called Mesopotamia, many are damaged. We may know the language but we don’t know what’s missing from the text and what difference the missing part makes to what is being said. Experts try to fill in the missing parts but guessing at all the possibilities is Read More ›

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post

News
Date
September 23, 2020

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Natural Intelligence, Science

Tagged
Algorithms, Bacteria as living computers, Ben Medlock, Computers, James Shapiro, Self-organization, Stephen Hawking}

SwiftKey Co-founder: Computers Can’t Just “Evolve” Intelligence

_{Can vain hopes for AI spring from a wrong understanding of evolution?} _{News
September 23, 2020

5

Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Natural Intelligence, Science}

Ben Medlock asks us to look at self-organization as a principle of life, lacking in computers.

Should Robots, Instead of Humans, Go Into Space?

_{They might be better at life in space than humans. But could they be counselors too?} _{News
September 17, 2020

9

Artificial Intelligence, Medicine and Health, Philosophy of Mind, Science}

Are we here to re-create ourselves as robotic humanoids? In a recent podcast, Robert J. Marks discusses what robots can do for us with retired internist and author Geoffrey Simmons. In his most recent book, Are We Here to Re-Create Ourselves?: The Convergence of Designs (2019), Simmons argues that in creating artificially intelligent robots, we are trying to recreate the human being. But can we really recreate everything about ourselves? For example, they discussed, can robots be counselors? Should robots go into space instead of humans? As a writer, Simmons has found audiences for both fiction and non-fiction. For example, he wrote Z-papers (1976), a medically based crime thriller in which “In a Chicago hospital, the U.S. Vice Presidential candidate Read More ›

Worried doctors and medical researchers on conference meeting, discussing possible solutions for resolving a world health crisis. Health and medical care concept. Selective focus.

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post

Gary Smith
Date
September 14, 2020

Categorized
Medicine and Health, Peer Review, Science

Tagged
bitcoin, Featured, James Tobin, Meaningless correlations, replication crisis, Reproducibility, Ronald Fisher, Statistical significance}

Computers Excel at Finding Temporary Patterns

_{Which contributes to the replication crisis in science} _{Gary Smith
September 14, 2020

7

Medicine and Health, Peer Review, Science}

The scientific method calls for the rigorous testing of plausible theories, ideally through randomized controlled trials. For example, a study of a COVID-19 vaccine might give the vaccine to 10,000 randomly selected people and a placebo to another 10,000, and compare the infection rates for the two groups. If the difference in the infection rates is too improbable to be explained by chance, then the difference is deemed statistically significant. How improbable? In the 1920s, the great British statistician, Sir Ronald Fisher , said that he favored a 5 percent threshold. So 5 percent became the Holy Grail. Unfortunately, the establishment of a 5 percent hurdle for statistical significance has had the perverse effect of encouraging researchers to do whatever Read More ›

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post

Eric Holloway
Date
August 31, 2020

Categorized
Philosophy of Mind, Science

Tagged
Complex Specified Information, David Deutsch, Erwin Schrödinger, Featured, Multiverse, Specified Complexity}

Here Is a Way We Can Be Sure If We Are Living in a Multiverse

_{An experiment can test the idea that there is an infinite number of universes} _{Eric Holloway
August 31, 2020

5

Philosophy of Mind, Science}

For our experiment, we need a quantum coin flipper, a disintegration gun, and observers who are sure that there is an infinite array of universes out there.

Common Reasons for Dismissing Miracles Are Mistaken, Study Shows

_{Religious people are more likely to say they’ve experienced a miracle but they aren’t the only ones who do} _{News
August 24, 2020

6

Religion, Science}

In a research article published in Review of Religious Research in July, sociologist Edwin Eschler comes to some unexpected conclusions about who experiences miracles—defined as “any experience in which a person believes an event or outcome was influenced by supernatural agents”: For example, ➤ Well-educated and well-to-do people are just as likely to say they have experienced a miracle as poor and uneducated people—if they encounter an existential threat in life: Q: What were your major findings? Eschler: Well, first and simplest was that 57% of respondents had experienced a miracle of some kind. We’re not talking about a fringe belief/behavior. But more important was what I didn’t find: education had no relationship with experiencing miracles at all. Respondents with Read More ›

Glorious Sky - Elements of this Image Furnished by NASA

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post

News
Date
August 20, 2020

Categorized
Philosophy of Mind, Science

Tagged
___longform, Bernardo Kastrup, Consciousness, cosmopsychism, Featured, Michael Egnor, Panpsychism, Sabine Hossenfelder}

Bernardo Kastrup Argues for a Universal Mind as a Reasonable Idea

_{The challenge, he says, is not why there is consciousness but why there are so many separate instances of consciousnesses} _{News
August 20, 2020

9

Philosophy of Mind, Science}

In a recent podcast, Michael Egnor continued his discussion with philosopher and computer programmer Bernardo Kastrup; This week, the topic was panpsychism and cosmopsychism. (Last week, the topic was why consciousness couldn’t just evolve from the mud.) https://episodes.castos.com/mindmatters/Mind-Matters-096-Bernardo-Kastrup.mp3 A partial transcript follows: (The complete transcript is here. The Show Notes and Resources are below.) Dr. Kastrup made clear that he is not a panpsychism but rather a cosmopsychist. He explains the difference, defining panpsychism as follows: Bernardo Kastrup (pictured): Panpsychism, well, to be more accurately called constitutive panpsychism, it’s the notion that at least some of the elementary particles that constitutes the universe, at least some of them, are fundamentally conscious. In other words, they have experiential states, fundamental experiential Read More ›

Cat and robotic vacuum cleaner in the room. Fluffy british shorthair cat is playing with a robotic vacuum.

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post

Denyse O'Leary
Date
August 18, 2020

Categorized
Natural Intelligence, Science

Tagged
Berit Brogaard, Cats, Dogs, intelligence}

In What Ways Are Cats Intelligent?

_{Cats have nearly twice as many neurons as dogs and a bigger and more complex cerebral cortex} _{Denyse O'Leary
August 18, 2020

7

Natural Intelligence, Science}

It’s hard to come up with an interspecies IQ test. We live in a world where dogs are smarter than wolves in some ways but wolves are smarter than dogs in others. So much depends on what we want to measure. So let’s look at cats in relation to dogs because dogs have been studied so much more. Dogs are often seen as smarter than cats because they can do more jobs for humans. But humans bred dogs for millennia to do those very jobs. Cats have also made themselves useful to humans by killing pest rodents. But we best help the cat kill rodents just by getting out of his way. Thus, to assess cat intelligence vs. dog intelligence, Read More ›

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post

News
Date
August 13, 2020

Categorized
Philosophy of Mind, Science

Tagged
___longform, Bernardo Kastrup, Consciousness, Darwinism, Evolution, Featured, god, Intelligent design theory, Jerry Coyne, Jerry Fodor, Materialism, Michael Egnor, Natural selection, Panpsychism, Philosophy, What Darwin Got Wrong (book)}

Why Consciousness Couldn’t Just Evolve from the Mud

_{Kastrup, a panpsychist, is sympathetic to the basic intuitions behind the idea that there is design in nature (intelligent design theory)} _{News
August 13, 2020

10

Philosophy of Mind, Science}

In a recent podcast, “Does the Moon Exist if No One is Looking at It?”, neurosurgeon Michael Egnor interviewed philosopher and computer programmer Bernardo Kastrup. Dr. Kastrup has been, in Dr. Egnor’s words, “leading a modern renaissance of metaphysical idealism”—that is, reality is essentially mental rather than physical.

Why Engineering Can’t Be Reduced to the Laws of Physics

_{When we reduce the engineer’s mind to a computer, the source of innovation disappears} _{Eric Holloway
August 4, 2020

3

Artificial Intelligence, Philosophy of Mind, Science}

The fundamental problem of modern science is the problem of innovation. Where does novelty come from? This problem shows up in physics, biology, artificial intelligence, and economics. Within physics, the problem is how to account for the fundamental constants of reality. They are all precisely tuned to make sentient and intelligent life—life that can learn about itself and the universe—possible through science. Within biology, the problem is accounting for the source of highly complex genetic sequences that express finely tuned biological functions. In artificial intelligence, the challenge is identifying solutions that are relevant to a given scenario. In economics the problem is identifying the right products for the market. What do all these situations have in common? In each case, Read More ›

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post

Gary Smith
Date
August 3, 2020

Categorized
Business and Finance, Science

Tagged
COVID-19 Recession, data, employment, Featured, Great Depression, John Maynard Keynes, Theory, Unemployment}

Beware of Geeks Bearing Formulas—It’s Often Pseudoscience

_{Pseudoscience based on data without theory and theory without data undermine the credibility of real science, which is the key to human progress} _{Gary Smith
August 3, 2020

6

Business and Finance, Science}

Elsewhere I have warned of the perils of making decisions based on data without theory. For example, the patterns discovered by data-mining computer algorithms are often nothing more than meaningless coincidences. It is also perilous to go to the opposite extreme—to make decisions based on theory without data. Once upon a time, for example, economists were fond of sketching labor demand and supply curves and assuming that the economy was at their intersection. That is, labor demand is equal to supply, so that everyone who wants to work is working. The unemployed have chosen to be unemployed because they value leisure more than income. True believers were fond of this theory and little troubled by reality. Between 1929 and 1933, Read More ›

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post

News
Date
August 2, 2020

Categorized
Philosophy of Mind, Religion, Science

Tagged
___longform, Dualism, Featured, John Burke, Monism, Near-death experiences, Robert J. Marks, Walter Bradley}

Why Reasonable People Think Near-Death Experiences Are Real

_{Distinguished engineers Walter Bradley and Robert J.Marks sift through the evidence} _{News
August 2, 2020

17

Philosophy of Mind, Religion, Science}

In a recent podcast, “Walter Bradley on Near-Death Experiences,” Center director Robert J. Marks discusses these experiences with Walter Bradley, after whom the Walter Bradley Center for Natural and Artificial Intelligence is named. Dr. Bradley is an emeritus distinguished professor at Baylor University, formerly professor and mechanical engineering head at Texas A&M University. https://episodes.castos.com/mindmatters/Mind-Matters-093-Walter-Bradley.mp3 Here are some selections from the transcript: (You can download the entire transcript here.) Marks and Bradley started with first principles: Is it reasonable to believe that there is anything out beyond the material world? Many people assume that science exists to defend materialism. But Walter Bradley has defended the idea that there is also an immaterial world, of which we are a part, in a Read More ›

pregnant woman holding her tummy while standing near garden shed

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post

News
Date
July 26, 2020

Categorized
Philosophy of Mind, Science

Tagged
Evolutionary psychology, Subrena E. Smith}

Ethics Prof Slams Claims About Why Pregnant Women “Nest”

_{Evolutionary psychology is among the “scienciest” of the sciences; implicit belief does not require serious evidence} _{News
July 26, 2020

6

Philosophy of Mind, Science}

Evolutionary psychology continues to take a beating, as more people reflect on its central claim: Aspects of our psychology, which we think are the products of reason and emotion applied to personal and historical experience, really stem from the survival and reproduction mechanisms of human and other ancestors of whom we have no historical record. Arianne Shahvisi (above right), senior lecturer in ethics at Brighton and Sussex Medical School, joins philosopher Subrena E. Smith in critiquing of such vast claims. Her focus in a recent article at Psyche is claims about why expectant mothers “nest,” that is, spend a lot of time housecleaning and stocking up. Now, if you are not an evolutionary psychologist, you might hazard a guess that Read More ›