Mind Matters Natural and Artificial Intelligence News and Analysis

TagCarl Sagan (1934–1996)

futuristic-space-station-interior-with-sleek-technology-and-632953996-stockpack-adobestock
Futuristic Space Station Interior with Sleek Technology and Endless Stars Visible Through the Window, Floating in the Milky Way

Extraterrestrial Life: The Discipline Without a Subject

It’s fascinating but several rhetorical tricks help keep it in the forefront of news
This stuff is likely harmless except that a troubling element is introduced if the imagined aliens are supposed to be evidence of our own insignificance. Read More ›
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A humanoid robot philosopher contemplating the nature of consciousness in a virtual reality chamber, abstract digital environment with neural networks and philosophical texts, Innovative style

Brain Surgeon Shows Why AI Can Never Become Human

Spoiler alert: AI requires physical hardware; the mind does not
AI can never be more than a machine; the human mind soars far above any machine model. Be nice to your robot. But don’t think she is human. Read More ›
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A cluster of tiny tea candles gently floating on a dark river illuminating the water with soft golden light

Taking the Side of Science — But How Do We Know Which One It Is?

In writing that science’s materialism is absolute, Richard Lewontin wrote as one who did not grasp the fatal flaw in his absolutism
If the mind is an illusion of the brain, the pursuit of science is illusory too. If the mind is real but immaterial, science is saved — but materialism is dead. Read More ›