Mind Matters News and Analysis on Natural and Artificial Intelligence

TagConsciousness

jon-tyson-762647-unsplash-altered
A pile of photographic memories with a pancake photo
Type
post
Author
Denyse O'Leary
Date
January 16, 2019
Categorized
Neuroscience, Philosophy of Mind
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How Can Consciousness Be a Material Thing?

Maybe it can’t. But materialist philosophers face starkly limited choices in how to view consciousness
Denyse O'Leary
January 16, 2019
Neuroscience, Philosophy of Mind
In analytical philosopher Galen Strawson’s opinion, our childhood memories of pancakes on Saturday, for example, are—and must be—"wholly physical." Read More ›
Digital computer brain 3D render floating in right profile view with numerical information background illustrating the concepts of Big Data and artificial intelligence
Type
post
Author
News
Date
January 8, 2019
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Philosophy of Mind
Tagged
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Consciousness Studies Is a “Bizarre” Field of Science

The question of whether machines can be conscious is bound up with attempts to study immaterial things while denying their existence
News
January 8, 2019
Artificial Intelligence, Philosophy of Mind
The person who is trying to build consciousness into a machine has only a human model so he is trying to build a little human into the machine. He cannot do so but he can try to make himself and others believe that he has done it. Read More ›
architecture-auditorium-chairs-109669
Type
post
Author
Mind Matters
Date
November 26, 2018
Categorized
Philosophy of Mind, Social Factors
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Tom Stoppard’s New Play Tackles Consciousness Itself

Consciousness is a hard problem for science, principally because no one quite understands what makes us the subjects of our experiences.
Mind Matters
November 26, 2018
Philosophy of Mind, Social Factors
According to one critic, the problem that has preoccupied Stoppard throughout his career is “Are the materialists right, or is there more to man than mere flesh?” Read More ›
nasa-53887-unsplash
Type
post
Author
Mind Matters
Date
November 12, 2018
Categorized
Philosophy of Mind
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Noted Astronomer Envisions Cyborgs on Mars

Sir Martin Rees thinks of this “post-human evolution” as going beyond Darwin to “secular intelligent design.”
Mind Matters
November 12, 2018
Philosophy of Mind
AI apocalypse is certainly in the air. Elon Musk, Henry Kissinger, and the late Stephen Hawking have all predicted an AI doomsday. Industry professionals’ doubt and disparagement don’t seem to register with the media in the same way. Read More ›
Personal communication
Type
post
Author
Mind Matters
Date
October 23, 2018
Categorized
Philosophy of Mind, Social Factors
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Brain hacks

Do we understand the brain better if we see it as a computer?
Mind Matters
October 23, 2018
Philosophy of Mind, Social Factors
Seeing the brain as a computer doesn’t tell us as much as we might think. When human beings build computers, we design them in a way that we can understand and use. So we think our brains must be like that too. Sure enough, in the vast complexity of our brains, we can surely find some elements that remind us of a computer. Others won’t.   Read More ›
marc-olivier-jodoin-572629-unsplash
Type
post
Author
Michael Egnor
Date
October 9, 2018
Categorized
Natural Intelligence, Neuroscience
Tagged
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Does your brain construct your conscious reality? Part II

In a word, no. Your brain doesn't "think"; YOU think, using your brain
Michael Egnor
October 9, 2018
Natural Intelligence, Neuroscience
The brain understands nothing, imagines nothing, sees nothing. It wills nothing. We understand, we imagine, we see, and we will, using our brains. Read More ›
cristina-gottardi-685293-unsplash
Type
post
Author
Michael Egnor
Date
October 9, 2018
Categorized
Natural Intelligence, Neuroscience
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Does your brain construct your conscious reality? Part I

A reply to computational neuroscientist Anil Seth's recent TED talk
Michael Egnor
October 9, 2018
Natural Intelligence, Neuroscience
His talk is a breathtaking compendium of fallacies on the mind and the brain. We can learn a lot from him—by understanding the errors into which he falls and the way out of those errors. Read More ›