Robert J. Marks and Yuri Danilov discuss what we thought we knew about the brain twenty years ago, and how what we think we know now might change in another twenty years. Bringing their conversation to a close, Bob and Yuri also get into the innumerable details of our phenomenally complex human visual system and consider whether our actions are initiated by a homunculus.

Show Notes

• 00:00 | Dangling questions
• 01:00 | Comparing male and female color perception
• 02:00 | What is glia which fills the brain?
• 04:30 | The functions of glia
• 07:50 | A miseducation in brain science
• 10:40 | Neuromediators that transfer signals between neurons
• 12:20 | Intellectual humility in view of changing science
• 14:30 | How close is AI to simulating the natural brain?
• 15:00 | Is the brain a complex computer?
• 16:00 | Changing metaphors for the brain as technology evolves
• 17:20 | Do we have an internal homunculus issuing algorithms or commands
• 19:00 | Artificial retinae and the complexity of the human visual system
• 25:15 | Distinguishing self-initiated versus externally activated actions
• 27:50 | Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), or “hitting the box”, as a treatment for depression

Resources

• On Homunculus at Everipedia
• Michael Egnor on the homunculus and “Cartesian Theatre”
• “What are Glial Cells and What Do They Do?” by Adrienne Dellwo at VeryWellHealth
• Michael Egnor on brain stimulation and free will
• On Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation at Mayo Clinic