Mind Matters Natural and Artificial Intelligence News and Analysis

TagFrancis Crick (1916–2004)

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A detailed digital illustration showcasing the interaction between DNA molecules and a complex molecular machine within a biological environment

Skeptic Michael Shermer’s (Non)-Vision of the Soul

Responding to Michael Egnor at COSM 2025, he said that the soul is an explanation but not a good explanation for our relationship to our bodies
He sees words like “mind” and “soul” as just linguistic placeholders until we have a fully material explanation for how we function. Read More ›
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Glowing and shining DNA strands double helix close-up. Medical, biology, microbiology, genetics 3D rendering illustration concept. Artist vision.

Geneticist James D. Watson (1928–2025): His Contradictory Legacy

Watson and Crick set the stage for what philosopher Stephen Meyer calls the God Hypothesis and yet Watson was a bigoted atheist and champion of pseudoscientific racism
James Watson’s science legacy is for the ages. It would be fair if his ignoble thinking about faith and race faded into the background after some time. Read More ›
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Alien extra-terrestrial life forms, micro-organisms, floating in cosmic space, outer space

In What Sense Is Origin of Life From Space a Scientific Question?

We can never know for sure what happened in the remote past. But future discoveries could, in principle, either strengthen or confirm the life from space claim.
One thing emerges clearly from the life from space approach: Intelligent design is a viable hypothesis for the origin of life. Read More ›