Mind Matters Natural and Artificial Intelligence News and Analysis

Tag___longform

Asian temple dragon
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post
Author
Heather Zeiger
Date
April 5, 2020
Categorized
Ethics, Global Technology, Social Media, Technocracy
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The Dragon’s Deception: Conspiracy Theories and False Numbers

China’s global attempt to rewrite the history of coronavirus (COVID-19) is running up against incriminating evidence
Heather Zeiger
April 5, 2020
8
Ethics, Global Technology, Social Media, Technocracy

The Chinese Communist Party has touted the superiority of an authoritarian government over a democratic one in handling the virus outbreak. But American intelligence sources say that it was the punishment that local officials might receive from the authoritarian system that led to the initial coverup of the outbreak.

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Man with double face expression isolated on gray background
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post
Author
News
Date
April 4, 2020
Categorized
Medicine and Health, Neuroscience, Philosophy of Mind
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If Your Brain Were Cut in Half, Would You Still Be One Person?

Yes, with minor disabilities. Roger Sperry’s split-brain research convinced him that the mind and free will are real
News
April 4, 2020
13
Medicine and Health, Neuroscience, Philosophy of Mind

The true significance of the split-brain experiments goes far beyond the significance of the lateralization of the brain; your essential unity also points to the immaterial nature of the mind.

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Western lowland gorilla, Gorilla gorilla
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post
Author
Michael Egnor
Date
March 27, 2020
Categorized
Neuroscience, Philosophy of Mind
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How Not To Debate Materialists

This is the story of how a gifted scientist lost a debate with a Darwinist — a debate he should have won
Michael Egnor
March 27, 2020
8
Neuroscience, Philosophy of Mind

Although ape brains do differ somewhat from human brains in cortical anatomy, it is the similarity between the brains of apes and men, rather than the differences, that provide striking evidence of human exceptionalism.

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Coronavirus pandemic - Cleaning and Disinfection. Professional teams for disinfection efforts. Infection prevention and control of epidemic. Protective suit and mask
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post
Author
Heather Zeiger
Date
March 19, 2020
Categorized
Ethics, Medicine and Health, Technocracy
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China: Rewriting the History of COVID-19

Making the government the improbable hero of the tale
Heather Zeiger
March 19, 2020
9
Ethics, Medicine and Health, Technocracy

Chinese scientists worked together swiftly and seamlessly to sequence the virus, (completed February 25), even as the government was downplaying the extent of the problem and silencing doctors who attempted to warn colleagues and the public. The Wuhan public erupted in anger when the government demanded a show of gratitude for its efforts rather than theirs.

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The Dreamy Abstract background from soap bubble in the air with nature defocused
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post
Author
Jeffrey Funk and Gary Smith
Date
March 3, 2020
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Business and Finance
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Stanford’s AI Index Report: How Much Is BS?

Some measurements of AI’s economic impact sound like the metrics that fueled the dot-com bubble
Jeffrey Funk and Gary Smith
March 3, 2020
9
Artificial Intelligence, Business and Finance

Stanford University’s AI index offers us fanciful measures of the triumph of AI, rivaling the far-fetched metrics of dot-com commerce. The reality has been the opposite. For decades, U.S. productivity grew by about 3% a year. Then, after 1970, it slowed to 1.5% a year, then 1%, now about 0.5%. Perhaps we are spending too much time on our smartphones.

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Double personality long exposure artistic creative portrait. Young handsome man profile. looking side. Ghost. abstract conceptual artistic view. representation of subconscious feelings and thoughts
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post
Author
News
Date
February 21, 2020
Categorized
Neuroscience, Philosophy of Mind
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The Mind’s Reality Is Consistent with Neuroscience

A neglected “dualist” theory offers some insights
News
February 21, 2020
9
Neuroscience, Philosophy of Mind

Neurosurgeon Michael Egnor thinks that the explanation of the relationship of the mind to the brain that best fits today’s neuroscience is that certain powers, particularly the intellect and will, are not generated by matter but are immaterial. However, other properties of the mind, like perception, memory and imagination are physical, generated by brain matter.

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Middle aged Asian man wearing glasses and medical face mask on public train, Wuhan coronavirus outbreak, air pollution and health concept
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post
Author
Heather Zeiger
Date
February 11, 2020
Categorized
Medicine and Health, Surveillance
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Coronavirus in a World Without Trust

In China, medical heroism thrives despite both paranoia and justified mistrust of authorities
Heather Zeiger
February 11, 2020
10
Medicine and Health, Surveillance

While China’s citizens are living in an information vacuum, the government has stepped up its surveillance strategies in order to track people who have been near someone infected with the coronavirus. Some commentators consider these measures disproportionate to the actual risk posed to others and in violation of human rights. Others see them as necessary.

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バイナリーコードの背景
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post
Author
Analysis
Date
February 5, 2020
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Natural Intelligence
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Superintelligent AI Is Still a Myth

Neither the old classical approaches nor the new data scientific angle can make any headway on good ol’ common sense
Analysis
February 5, 2020
11
Artificial Intelligence, Natural Intelligence

The official Winograd Schema Challenge, organized by Levesque and friends to see if AI could learn common sense, was retired officially in 2016 for the embarrassing reason that even the well-funded bleeding age Google Brain team performed poorly on a test set of a few hundred questions.

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rest-in-peace-posters-of-dr-li-wenliang-who-warned-authorities-about-the-coronovirus-outbreak-seen-at-hosier-lane-in-melbourne-australia-hosier-lane-is-known-for-its-street-art-stockpack-unsplash.jpg
Rest in Peace Posters of Dr Li Wenliang, who warned authorities about the coronovirus outbreak seen at Hosier Lane in Melbourne, Australia. Hosier Lane is known for its street art.
Type
post
Author
Heather Zeiger
Date
February 1, 2020
Categorized
Global Technology, Medicine and Health, Social Media, Surveillance
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Censorship? But Coronavirus Doesn’t Care!

Back when SARS was a threat, social media wasn’t the giant it is today. Censorship, secrecy, and detention are less effective tools of control now
Heather Zeiger
February 1, 2020
10
Global Technology, Medicine and Health, Social Media, Surveillance

Coronavirus provides a test. The Chinese Communist Party offers mainland Chinese people security and prosperity in exchange for the sacrifice of personal freedom. But when the government cannot uphold its end of the agreement—security—the people may become less tolerant of the human rights violations. And the age of information makes it much easier to discover them.

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shopping online at home concept.Cartons in a shopping cart on a laptop keyboard
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post
Author
News
Date
January 30, 2020
Categorized
Business and Finance
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Does the Information Society Need a Free Market?

The Gilder Fellows’ July Seminar will wrestle with why Millennials favor socialism
News
January 30, 2020
7
Business and Finance

Many Millennials yearn for socialism but, according to the Gilder Fellows scholars, socialism is—at best—irrelevant to the challenges of an information society.

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An internet email symbol and a group of people are separated by a red prohibitory symbol No. restrictions on access to the global Internet. Censorship. Information control, society isolation policy
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post
Author
Heather Zeiger
Date
January 18, 2020
Categorized
Global Technology, Social Media, Surveillance
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Can a Totalitarian State Be an Information Society?

Beijing’s clumsy social media campaigns against democracy in Hong Kong and Taiwan have failed but attempts to control local media are ramping up
Heather Zeiger
January 18, 2020
11
Global Technology, Social Media, Surveillance

Xi believes that the Western values of a free press, free speech, and separation of powers contributed to the fall of the Soviet Union and that China must avoid them so as not to succumb to the same fate. But the Soviet Union fell just before the internet became today’s information superhighway.

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Photo by Wherda Arsianto
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post
Author
Heather Zeiger
Date
January 14, 2020
Categorized
Surveillance
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Serious Media In China Have Gone Strangely Silent

With a compulsory new app, the government can potentially access journalists’ phones, both for surveillance and capturing data
Heather Zeiger
January 14, 2020
9
Surveillance

Liu Hu sums up the scene in a few words: “Outside of China, journalists are fired for writing false reports… Inside China, they are fired for telling the truth.”

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black mathematics board with formulas
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post
Author
Daniel Andrés Díaz-Pachón
Date
January 5, 2020
Categorized
Mathematics
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Faith Is the Most Fundamental of the Mathematical Tools

An early twentieth century clash of giants showed that even mathematics depends on some unprovable assumptions
Daniel Andrés Díaz-Pachón
January 5, 2020
13
Mathematics

David Hilbert wanted all mathematics to be proved by logical steps. Kurt Gödel showed that no axiomatic system could be complete and consistent at the same time.

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Group Of Businesspeople Identified By AI System
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post
Author
News
Date
January 2, 2020
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Business and Finance, Global Technology, Work
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How To Fool Facial Recognition

Changing a couple of pixels here and there can stump a computer
News
January 2, 2020
8
Artificial Intelligence, Business and Finance, Global Technology, Work

Both computers and humans can be fooled by patterns that appear significant but really aren’t. But the bigger the computer, the more random patterns it can find in the vast swathes of data processed.

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The-Expanse-Publicity-Still
The Expanse Still Image
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post
Author
Adam Nieri
Date
December 28, 2019
Categorized
Arts & Culture
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Sci-Fi TV: 2019’s Best and Worst

2019 featured many sci-fi television and movies that were less sci-fi than political narrative
Adam Nieri
December 28, 2019
9
Arts & Culture

In 2019, I fell out with Netflix. I felt bombarded by more and more edgy content, as though Netflix wanted me to know how “adult” it is. Rather than producing a few amazing originals, Netflix started vomiting up a ton of terrible originals.

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The mankind races - ethnic and multi ethnic - scientific model - concept
Type
post
Author
Heather Zeiger
Date
December 26, 2019
Categorized
Ethics, Global Technology, Surveillance, Technocracy
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China: DNA Phenotyping Profiles Racial Minorities

In the United States, targeting minorities means political pushback; in China, no such discussion is allowed
Heather Zeiger
December 26, 2019
7
Ethics, Global Technology, Surveillance, Technocracy

While there is some merit to the idea that the population of a particular geographic region will have similar DNA patterns, this science comes with a host of assumptions that, when taken too far, crosses the line into pseudoscience.

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China and Australia puzzles from flags, 3D rendering
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post
Author
Denyse O'Leary
Date
December 11, 2019
Categorized
Global Technology
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Weighing the Costs of China’s High-Tech Power

Western nations like New Zealand, Australia, and Canada must weigh Beijing’s demands carefully
Denyse O'Leary
December 11, 2019
10
Global Technology

Smaller Western countries, dependent on high-tech cooperation and the promise of huge markets in China, have muted their protests over Hong Kong and even accept Chinese government censorship in their own territories. That can put them in conflict with their own stated values.

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A man going through the dark old tunnel. Tunnel with traffic lights and a silhouette of a man
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post
Author
News
Date
December 5, 2019
Tagged
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What If a Near-Death Experience Is a Vision of Hell?

Oddly, even distressing near-death experiences have had positive effects, say researchers
News
December 5, 2019
7

One researcher observes at Psychology Today that the strongest predictor of a successful suicide attempt is a previous failed suicide attempt—unless the person has had a near-death experience, in which case further suicide attempts are unlikely.

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One belt one road. New Chinese trade silk road. map infographics
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post
Author
Heather Zeiger
Date
December 3, 2019
Categorized
Global Technology, Surveillance
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Why China Leans Hard on Central Asia

The region is critical to China’s ambitions, hence the generous offers of state-of-the-art surveillance technology
Heather Zeiger
December 3, 2019
11
Global Technology, Surveillance

Where is all of the data going and where is it stored? The short answer is China. The Central Asian countries’ current laws do not adequately protect their citizens’ privacy. In fact, most countries in the world do not have adequate laws to deal with the potential harms of facial recognition technology.

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Robot's body
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post
Author
News
Date
December 3, 2019
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Medicine and Health, Philosophy of Mind
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Would You Want Immortal Life as a Cyborg?

Would you give up your right arm for a robotic device that performs better? Think about it
News
December 3, 2019
8
Artificial Intelligence, Medicine and Health, Philosophy of Mind

Transhumanism can mean uploading one’s mind into cyberspace. But some transhumanists hope to slowly morph into “immortal cyborgs” with endlessly replaceable parts. Five years ago, we were told, we were all turning into cyborgs: Did you recently welcome a child into the world? Congratulations! An upstanding responsible parent such as yourself is surely doing all you can to prepare your little one for all the pitfalls life has in store. However, thanks to technology, children born in 2014 may face a far different set of issues than you ever had to. And we’re not talking about simply learning to master a new generation of digital doohickeys, we’re talking about living in a world in which the very definition of “human” Read More ›