Mind Matters Natural and Artificial Intelligence News and Analysis

TagConsciousness

human-brain-with-an-implanted-chip-stockpack-adobe-stock.jpg
Human brain with an implanted chip.
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post
Author
News
Date
May 31, 2021
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Medicine and Health, Philosophy of Mind
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What Will Elon Musk’s Neuralink Really Change, If It Catches On

Neuralink’s computer chip implants may help restore function in people with motor or sensory disabilities
News
May 31, 2021
6
Artificial Intelligence, Medicine and Health, Philosophy of Mind

Finishing the third and final podcast of the series, “Unity of Consciousness,” Walter Bradley Center director Robert J. Marks and Angus Menuge, professor and chair of philosophy at Concordia University, had a look at entrepreneur Elon Musk’s implanted brain chip venture, the Neuralink: https://episodes.castos.com/mindmatters/Angus-Menuge-Episode-3-rev1.mp3 This portion begins at 14:28 min. A partial transcript, Show Notes, and Additional Resources follow. Robert J. Marks: Let me end our discussion together by asking you an outlier question. Elon Musk is developing something called Neuralink. It’s a chip which goes into the brain. Its immediate application is going to be for those that are handicapped. It is going to allow them communicate directly to objects that they can’t control normally because of their handicap. Read More ›

double-exposure-a-curly-haired-brunette-is-standing-in-the-doorway-of-the-theater-poster-events-personality-psychology-cloak-and-reincarnation-fasting-alcoholic-fears-bifurcation-made-in-camera-stockpack-adobe-stock.jpg
Double exposure. A curly-haired brunette is standing in the doorway of the theater. Poster events, personality psychology. Cloak and reincarnation. Fasting alcoholic fears. Bifurcation. Made in camera
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post
Author
News
Date
May 27, 2021
Categorized
Neuroscience, Philosophy of Mind
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Why Do We Stay the Same Person Over Time? Why Not Split Up?

It would be a total fluke if all the different clouds of atoms that produce your brain would always produce the same consciousness. But they do
News
May 27, 2021
6
Neuroscience, Philosophy of Mind

In the third podcast of the series, “Unity of Consciousness,” Walter Bradley Center director Robert J. Marks interviews Angus Menuge, professor and chair of philosophy at Concordia University, on unique features of human consciousness, including the fact that our experiences are a unity, despite being scattered across many brain regions and even if our brains are split in half: But now let’s do some thought experiments, as proposed by Oxford philosopher Richard Swinburne: https://episodes.castos.com/mindmatters/Angus-Menuge-Episode-3-rev1.mp3 This portion begins at 04:55 min. A partial transcript, Show Notes, and Additional Resources follow. Angus Menuge: There’s another problem raised by [philosopher] Richard Swinburne: He imagines that he’s going to have an operation where each of his cerebral hemispheres is placed in another person. So Read More ›

x-ray-of-the-head-and-brain-of-a-person-stockpack-adobe-stock.jpg
X-ray of the head and brain of a person
Type
podcast
Author
Robert J. Marks
Date
May 27, 2021
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Bingecast: Michael Egnor on the Human Brain

Robert J. Marks
May 27, 2021
4

In this Bingecast episode, Dr. Robert J. Marks and Dr. Michael Egnor explore the human brain and its relationship to the mind. Is the mind an emergent property of the brain? Is there neurological evidence for the soul? What have brain experiments taught us about free will and the human person? Can you still think in a coma? Show Notes Read More ›

3d-rendering-of-female-robot-looking-sad-stockpack-adobe-stock.jpg
3D rendering of female robot looking sad.
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post
Author
News
Date
May 24, 2021
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Philosophy of Mind
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Can We Apply Tests for Consciousness to Artificial Intelligence?

A robot could be programmed to say Ow! and withdraw its hand from a hot object. But did it feel anything?
News
May 24, 2021
5
Artificial Intelligence, Philosophy of Mind

In Walter Bradley Center director Robert J. Marks’s second podcast with philosopher Angus Menuge, where the big topic is the perennial “Hard Problem of consciousness, they established that one of the implications of quantum mechanics is that consciousness is a “thing”; it exists in its own right. How can we apply that finding to claims for artificial intelligence? https://episodes.castos.com/mindmatters/Mind-Matters-134-Angus-Menuge.mp3 This portion begins at 25:33 min. A partial transcript, Show Notes, and Additional Resources follow. Robert J. Marks (pictured): Here is the big AI question: I know that I am conscious. Is there a way we can test for consciousness in others? And if we can, could we apply this test of consciousness in others to artificial intelligence? Can I test Read More ›

quantum-particle-quantum-mechanics-stockpack-adobe-stock.jpg
Quantum particle, quantum mechanics
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post
Author
News
Date
May 23, 2021
Categorized
Philosophy of Mind, Science
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Can a Materialist Consciousness Theory Survive Quantum Mechanics?

Quantum mechanics requires that the observer be part of the measurement; thus quantum measurements must include consciousness
News
May 23, 2021
5
Philosophy of Mind, Science

In Walter Bradley Center director Robert J. Marks’s second podcast with philosopher Angus Menuge, where the big topic is the perennial “Hard Problem of consciousness, one of the questions was whether quantum mechanics can help decipher consciousness. But that leads to another question: Can any materialist view of consciousness survive quantum mechanics? https://episodes.castos.com/mindmatters/Mind-Matters-134-Angus-Menuge.mp3 This portion begins at 22:35 min. A partial transcript, Show Notes, and Additional Resources follow. Robert J. Marks: Is quantum consciousness rooted in materialism? Can you look at quantum consciousness and say, this is materialistic? Angus Menuge: That’s a tricky question. For most materialists, their paradigm is really set by older 19th-century views of physical science. By definition, this goes beyond that. However, if one defines materialism Read More ›

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Schizophrenia
Type
podcast
Author
Robert J. Marks
Date
May 20, 2021
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Dr. Angus Menuge: Unity of Consciousness (Part III)

Robert J. Marks
May 20, 2021
1

It’s the curious conundrum of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Why do most of us have one consciousness? And what is the nature of consciousness in split personalities? In today’s final episode with guest Dr. Angus Menuge, Dr. Robert J. Marks engages Menuge on the question of unity of consciousness. Show Notes Additional Resources

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Looking through glasses to bleach nature landscape - tulips field. Color blindness. World perception during depression. Medical condition. Health and disease concept.
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podcast
Author
Robert J. Marks
Date
May 13, 2021
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Dr. Angus Menuge: Models of Consciousness (Part II)

Robert J. Marks
May 13, 2021
2

What is it like to see a red rose? To smell a red rose? To feel pain? In this week’s podcast, Dr. Robert J. Marks and Dr. Angus Menuge continue their discussion on philosophies of the mind, delving into competing definitions of consciousness. Show Notes Additional Resources

neurons pulses.jpg
Neurons electrical pulses. Interconnected neurons with electrical pulses.
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post
Author
News
Date
May 9, 2021
Categorized
Philosophy, Philosophy of Mind, Science
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How a Materialist Philosopher Argued His Way to Panpsychism

Galen Strawson starts with the one fact of which we are most certain — our own consciousness
News
May 9, 2021
7
Philosophy, Philosophy of Mind, Science

In 2018, science writer Robert Wright interviewed physicalist philosopher Galen Strawson (pictured) who, in a long conversation, explained the logical steps by which he — a philosopher who holds that nature is all there is and that everything is physical — also came to believe that consciousness underlies everything. Wright published a long excerpt from the discussion in June 2020, in which Strawson explains his reasoning. Wright starts things off by noting that “In recent years more and more philosophers seem to have embraced panpsychism—the view that consciousness pervades the universe and so is present, in however simple a form, in every little speck of matter.” Indeed, even publications like Scientific American have run panpsychist opinion pieces in recent years. Read More ›

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Closeup of hand female caregiver holding oxygen mask with cute child patient in hospital bed or home,little girl putting inhalation,doctor or nurse intensive care,health care,support,help concept
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post
Author
Elizabeth Whately
Date
May 3, 2021
Categorized
Arts & Culture, Medicine and Health, Neuroscience
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A Short Film Explores the Dreamscape of a Child in a Coma

While her faithful father waits and tries to connect with her…
Elizabeth Whately
May 3, 2021
6
Arts & Culture, Medicine and Health, Neuroscience

Last week, five animated short films competed for Oscar gold, with the top prize going to the emotionally charged “If Anything Happens I Love You.” The short is a bold examination of bereavement as two parents grapple with the violent loss of their young daughter. It’s a worthy winner. However, my own pick didn’t make the shortlist. WiNDUP (2020), written and directed by young creative Yibing Jiang, is also a poignant meditation on parenthood and grief — in this case, for a child in a possibly irreversible coma — as well as a technical gem. Jiang’s company, Unity, uses custom-built software to create shorts in “real-time 3D” on standard computers. Doing without certain tools that animators take for granted today, Read More ›

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Unfolding of Geometry
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post
Author
News
Date
April 16, 2021
Categorized
Philosophy, Science
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A Physicist and Philosopher Examines Panpsychism

Idealism says everything is an idea in the mind of God. Panpsychism says everything participates in consciousness (thus is not just an idea)
News
April 16, 2021
9
Philosophy, Science

In last week’s podcast,” our guest host, neurosurgeon Michael Egnor, interviewed philosopher of science Bruce Gordon on “Idealism and the Nature of Reality.” Idealism is the view that “something mental (the mind, spirit, reason, will) is the ultimate foundation of all reality, or even exhaustive of reality” – Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. As Gordon noted in the earlier portion of this podcast, idealism is actually a practical philosophy. It originated with Plato (c. 424–347 BC) but the modern form, which he himself holds, is that of George Berkeley (1685–1753). In Berkeley’s view everything that exists is an idea in the mind of God. Thus, Dr. Egnor asked him what he thinks of panpsychism, the view that everything in the universe Read More ›

young-blind-man-with-white-cane-and-guide-dog-sitting-in-park-in-city-stockpack-adobe-stock.jpg
Young blind man with white cane and guide dog sitting in park in city.
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post
Author
Michael Egnor
Date
April 4, 2021
Categorized
Neuroscience, Philosophy of Mind
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The Mystery of Blindsight Helps Us Understand the Mind Better

How can a blind person demonstrate awareness of an object in his visual field — and yet not be conscious of it?
Michael Egnor
April 4, 2021
8
Neuroscience, Philosophy of Mind

Blindsight is the remarkable ability of some blind people to sense objects that they cannot actually see. It occurs when the blindness is caused by damage to the main part of the brain that processes visual information (the striate cortex). But the eyes themselves are intact. The eyes continue to see (sensation) but nothing is receiving the messages (perception). Or so we would think, except for this: One of the most contentious discussions in philosophy of mind and neuroscience is the nature of perception as opposed to sensation. How can we perceive objects in our environment? On a deeper level, what do we mean by “perception”? In what ways does perception differ from sensation, if at all? The neurobiology of Read More ›

artificial brain.jpg
Artificial Intelligence digital Brain future technology on motherboard computer. Binary data. Brain of AI. Futuristic Innovative technology in science concept
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post
Author
News
Date
April 3, 2021
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Philosophy of Mind
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How WOULD We Know If an AI Is Conscious?

It might be more complicated than we think. A powerful zombie is still a zombie.
News
April 3, 2021
5
Artificial Intelligence, Philosophy of Mind

Neuroscientist Joel Frohlich (pictured) asks us to reflect on the “philosophical zombie.” That’s not the zombie of the late nite frites. It’s an entity that behaves outwardly in every respect like you and me but has no inner experience (think Stepford Wives). Philosopher David Chalmers originated the term in 1996, by way of illustrating why consciousness is a Hard Problem. A powerful computer can crunch through many difficult jobs without any inner life or consciousness. But, Frohlich, who is editor in chief of the science communications website Knowing Neurons, asks, what if we weren’t sure? How would we test that? Trying to determine if a powerful AI is conscious means getting past programming that might enable it to generate plausible Read More ›

evolving-abstract-visualization-stockpack-adobe-stock.jpg
Evolving Abstract Visualization
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post
Author
News
Date
April 1, 2021
Categorized
Mathematics, Philosophy of Mind
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Can Mathematics Help Us Understand Consciousness?

Gregory Chaitin asks, what if the universe is information, not matter?
News
April 1, 2021
12
Mathematics, Philosophy of Mind

In last week’s podcast, “The Chaitin Interview IV: Knowability and Unknowability,” Walter Bradley Center director Robert J. Marks interviewed mathematician Gregory Chaitin, best known for Chaitin’s Unknowable Number, on, among other things, consciousness. What can mathematics contribute to the discussion. Also, what does Chaitin think about panpsychism (everything is conscious”)? The discussion began with reference to David Chalmers’s 1996 book, The Conscious Mind: In Search of a Fundamental Theory, in which Chalmers coined the term “Hard Problem of Consciousness.” The term acknowledged what everyone knew, that human consciousness is a very difficult problem to understand, especially from a materialist perspective.Are there other approaches? Chaitin offers a look at the challenge panpsychism presents to materialism: https://episodes.castos.com/mindmatters/Mind-Matters-127-Gregory-Chaitin.mp3 This portion begins at 28:25 Read More ›

omega-the-letter-of-a-greek-alphabet-greek-numerals-mathematical-eight-hundred-number-concept-abstract-digital-wireframe-low-poly-mesh-raster-blue-neon-3d-illustration-triangle-line-dot-stockpack-adobe-stock.jpg
Omega, the letter of a Greek alphabet. Greek numerals, mathematical eight hundred number concept. Abstract, digital, wireframe, low poly mesh, Raster blue neon 3d illustration. Triangle, line dot
Type
podcast
Author
Robert J. Marks
Date
March 25, 2021
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The Chaitin Interview IV: Knowability and Unknowability

Robert J. Marks
March 25, 2021
2

What does it mean for something to be unknowable? Is creativity non-computable? Do all things have a level of consciousness? Jump into today’s podcast, where Robert J. Marks continues his discussion with Gregory Chaitin about mathematical theory and philosophy. Show Notes Additional Resources (Portions of this transcript have been altered to clarify the content).

field-of-poppies-stockpack-unsplash.jpg
Field of poppies
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post
Author
News
Date
March 19, 2021
Categorized
Medicine and Health, Neuroscience, Philosophy of Mind
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Does Freezing the Brain’s “Connectome” Offer Hope of Immortality?

Some cryogenics researchers are looking at methods of freezing the brain’s memory apparatus in the hope of reviving it one day and saving it as an artificial intelligence
News
March 19, 2021
7
Medicine and Health, Neuroscience, Philosophy of Mind

According to Philip Jaekl, a writer with neuroscience training, the connectome is the “ complete network of neurons and all the connections between them, called synapses.” Taking a leaf from Sebastian Seung’s book, Connectome: How the Brain’s Wiring Makes Us Who We Are, he argues, “You are your connectome.” In that case, Seung’s “you” is very complex. Many types of memory are mediated through the connectome. Jaekl writes, Thus, a key to unlocking the correspondence between the connectome and memory is to elucidate the entire circuitry of the brain. Tracing the wiring at this scale is no easy task when considering the sheer complexity involved. A mere cubic millimetre of brain tissue contains around 50,000 neurons, with an astonishing total Read More ›

3d-rendered-medically-accurate-illustration-of-the-human-cell-anatomy-stockpack-adobe-stock.jpg
3d rendered medically accurate illustration of the human cell anatomy
Type
post
Author
News
Date
March 15, 2021
Categorized
Neuroscience, Philosophy of Mind
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A New Theory Links Consciousness to Bioelectricity

Consciousness as a function of bioelectric fields? That’s a remarkable idea because it includes the notion that our individual cells are conscious
News
March 15, 2021
5
Neuroscience, Philosophy of Mind

Bioelectricity is the electricity produced by living organisms as they go about the business of moving, breathing, digesting, etc. Bioelectric currents differ from electric currents that power machines because they consist of ions (molecules that carry an electric charge) rather than electrons. (Encyclopedia.com). But it is still electricity. So what’s the link with consciousness? Evolutionary biologist and lawyer Tam Hunt argues, Nature seems to have figured out that electric fields, similar to the role they play in human-created machines, can power a wide array of processes essential to life. Perhaps even consciousness itself. A veritable army of neuroscientists and electrophysiologists around the world are developing steadily deeper insights into the degree that electric and magnetic fields—“brainwaves” or “neural oscillations”—seem to Read More ›

pet-lizard-in-a-tank-stockpack-adobe-stock.jpg
pet lizard in a tank
Type
post
Author
News
Date
March 9, 2021
Categorized
Neuroscience, Philosophy of Mind
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No, You Do Not Have a Lizard Brain Inside Your Human Brain

The “lizard brain” is part of what science used to know about the brain that ain’t so
News
March 9, 2021
5
Neuroscience, Philosophy of Mind

Lisa Feldman Barrett (pictured), Northeastern University psychology prof and author of Seven and a Half Lessons About the Brain (2020), is candid about the way new research has cast doubt on old saws in science: “As a neuroscientist, I see scientific myths about the brain repeated regularly in the media and corners of academic research.” The myth she targets in a recent article at Nautilus is the “triune brain,” the idea that our brain developed and continues to function in three successive layers. First developed by neuroscientist Paul D. MacLean (1913–2007) in the 1960s and set out in more detail in his 1990 book The Triune Brain in Evolution, the triune brain theory posited three successive layers of brain: ● Read More ›

wireframed-robot-hand-making-contact-with-human-hand-on-dark-3d-rendering-stockpack-adobe-stock.jpg
Wireframed Robot hand making contact with human hand on dark 3D rendering
Type
podcast
Author
Robert J. Marks
Date
February 25, 2021
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Bingecast: John Lennox on Artificial Intelligence and Humanity

Robert J. Marks
February 25, 2021
2

In this bingecast episode, Robert J. Marks talks with Dr. John C. Lennox, professor of mathematics at the University of Oxford, about all things artificial intelligence. Should robots have rights? What are A.I.’s advantages and threats to humanity? And does theology have anything to say about all of this? Listen in as they discuss Dr. Lennox’s book 2084, and wrestle Read More ›

new technologies, a child uses a futuristic processor for augmented reality. high technology and communication concept. TV
Type
post
Author
News
Date
February 21, 2021
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Arts & Culture, Science
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Theoretical Physicist Argues, the Sim Universe Is Pseudoscience

It’s a lot of fun in science fiction and some scitech celebs buy in. But Sabine Hossenfelder and others explain why it’s fiction
News
February 21, 2021
6
Artificial Intelligence, Arts & Culture, Science

Theoretical physicist Sabine Hossenfelder does not like the notion that we are living in a giant computer sim. Elon Musk likes it (“Elon Musk says there’s a ‘one in billions’ chance reality is not a simulation”) and so does Neil deGrasse Tyson (“Neil deGrasse Tyson says it’s ‘very likely’ the universe is a simulation”). Philosopher of science Nick Bostrom advanced that view in a seminal 2003 paper in Philosophical Quarterly. Former Astronomer Royal Martin Rees is sympathetic to it. Some call it the Planetarium hypothesis, when it is cited as a reason we do not see intelligent extraterrestrials. One source offers “15 irrefutable reasons” why, like Neo in The Matrix (1999), we might be living in a universe that is Read More ›

the-new-caledonian-crow-bird-on-the-tree-raven-in-tropical-jungle-stockpack-adobe-stock.jpg
The New Caledonian crow bird on the tree. Raven in tropical jungle
Type
post
Author
Denyse O'Leary
Date
February 17, 2021
Categorized
Natural Intelligence
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We Knew Crows Were Smart But They Turn Out To Be Even Smarter

We are only beginning to scratch the surface of the mysteries of animal intelligence
Denyse O'Leary
February 17, 2021
5
Natural Intelligence

Recently, some researchers have claimed that crows — already known to be smart — are even conscious: Nieder’s experiment showed that the birds were actively evaluating how to solve a particular problem they were confronted with. In effect, they were thinking it over. This ability to consciously assess a problem is associated with the cerebral cortex in the brains of humans. But birds have no cerebral cortex. Nieder found that in crows, thinking occurs in the pallium—the layers of gray and white matter covering the upper surface of the cerebrum in vertebrates. Other studies support the notion that the bird brain can, in principle, support the development of higher intelligence. This idea had been dismissed in the past due to Read More ›