Tag: Michael Egnor | Page 11

Man looking at business plan at whiteboard

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News
Date
December 12, 2020

Categorized
Information Theory, Science

Tagged
Michael Egnor, Robert J. Marks, Specified Complexity}

Complexity Is Not Always a Bad Thing

_{It allows us to have an intellectual life} _{News
December 12, 2020

3

Information Theory, Science}

In a recent podcast, neurosurgeon Michael Egnor and engineering prof Robert J. Marks discussed the difference between a bag of jigsaw puzzle pieces and a text message like “The city will get your car towed if you do not move it within the next 8 minutes”: Got your attention? That’s precisely what information does. It gets your attention. But what is information? How did those characters in a text message become important to you? Weren’t they just a string of letters and numbers? What, exactly, changed? https://episodes.castos.com/mindmatters/Mind-Matters-112-Robert-Marks.mp3 A partial transcript follows. The Show Notes and a full transcript are available below. Robert J. Marks: In terms of meaningful information, I think it’s obvious. Michael, they used to say that it Read More ›

Quitting smoking - male hand crushing cigarette

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News
Date
December 10, 2020

Categorized
Education

Tagged
causation, Correlation, Gary Smith, John Ioannidis, Logic, Michael Egnor, Robert J. Marks, Spurious Correlations (website), Tobacco}

Yellow Fingers Do Not Cause Lung Cancer

_{Neurosurgeon Michael Egnor and computer engineer Bob Marks look at the ways Big Data can mislead us into mistaking incidental events for causes} _{News
December 10, 2020

6

Education}

It’s easy to explain what “information” is if we don’t think much about it. But what if we ask a student, what does your term paper weigh? How much energy does it consume? More or less matter and energy than, say, lightning striking a tree? Of course, the student will protest, “But that’s not the point! It’s my term paper.” Exactly. So information is very different from matter and energy. It means something. Realizing that information is different from matter and energy can help us understand issues like the difference between the causes of a problem (causation) and circumstances that may be associated with the problem but do not cause it (correlation). In last week’s podcast, “Robert J. Marks on Read More ›

Everyone Has A Story, typed words on a vintage typewriter. old paper. close-up. my history

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News
Date
December 6, 2020

Categorized
Neuroscience, Philosophy of Mind

Tagged
Identity, Michael Egnor, Personal continuity, Self, Susan Blackmore}

Do We Really Remain the Same Person Throughout Our Lives?

_{Or is the continuity of our selves just an illusion?} _{News
December 6, 2020

4

Neuroscience, Philosophy of Mind}

That’s an interesting question because most cells in our bodies will die and be replaced a number of times. Many brain cells die but they are not replaced. They are just gone. So what, if anything, remains the same? One well-known professor of psychology, Susan Blackmore (pictured), argues that there is no continuity between our present selves and our past selves: Susan says there is an “illusion of continuity”, but what we think is “us” is just a “multiple parallel system” with “multiple parallel things going on”. So, she says, “the so-called me now is just another reconstruction. There was another one half an hour ago, and there’ll be another one, but they’re not really the same person, they’re just Read More ›

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News
Date
December 4, 2020

Categorized
Information Theory

Tagged
Andrey Kolmogorov, Claude Shannon, Creativity, Featured, Kolmogorov complexity, Lovelace test, Michael Egnor, Norbert Wiener, Robert J. Marks, Rolf Landauer, Selmer Bringsjord, Specified Complexity}

Information Is the Currency of Life. But What IS It?

_{How do we understand information in a universe that resists resolution into one single, simple system?} _{News
December 4, 2020

7

Information Theory}

At first, “What is information?” seems like a question with a simple answer. Stuff we need to know. Then, if we think about it, it dissolves into paradoxes. A storage medium—a backup drive, maybe—that contains vital information weighs exactly the same as one that contains nothing, gibberish, or dangerously outdated information. There is no way we can know without engaging intelligently with the content. That content is measured in bits and bytes, not kilograms and joules—which means that it is hard to relate to other quantities in our universe. In this week’s podcast, “Robert J. Marks on information and AI, Part 1.” neurosurgeon Michael Egnor interviews Walter Bradley Center director and computer engineering prof Robert J. Marks on how we Read More ›

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Michael Egnor
Date
October 29, 2020

Categorized
Medicine and Health, Neuroscience, Philosophy of Mind

Tagged
epilepsy, Featured, free will, Michael Egnor, Mystery of the Mind (book), seizures, Wilder Penfield}

Why, as a Neurosurgeon, I Believe in Free Will

_{The spiritual aspect of the human soul, sadly, leaves its signature in epilepsy} _{Michael Egnor
October 29, 2020

6

Medicine and Health, Neuroscience, Philosophy of Mind}

In his classic book, Mystery of the Mind, (1975) epilepsy surgery pioneer Dr. Wilder Penfield, asked a significant question: “Why are there no intellectual seizures?” Epileptic seizures can be experienced in a variety of ways—convulsions of the whole body, slight twitching of a muscle, compulsive memories, emotions, perceptions of smells or flashes of light, complex motor behaviors such as chewing or laughing or even walking, or subtle moments of inattention. But seizures never have intellectual content. There are no intellectual seizures, which is odd, given that large regions of the brain are presumed by neuroscientists to serve intellectual thought. It is all the more remarkable when we consider that seizures commonly originate in these “intellectual” areas of the brain. Yet Read More ›

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News
Date
October 11, 2020

Categorized
Neuroscience, Philosophy of Mind

Tagged
Animal Minds, Brain as computer, Coma, Consciousness, Disorders of consciousness, Featured, Half a brain, human brain, Human exceptionalism, Michael Egnor, neuroplasticity, Persistent vegetative state (PVS), Prostheses, Sophia the Robot, Split brain}

Your Mind vs. Your Brain: Ten Things To Know

_{Although we are only beginning to understand the workings of the brain, it clearly isn't the same thing as the mind} _{News
October 11, 2020

9

Neuroscience, Philosophy of Mind}

Modern neuroscience research is both shedding light on the brain and revealing the depths of its mysterious relationship with our minds.

World Alzheimer’s day concept. Human hands holding brain of earth over blurred blue nature background. Elements of this image furnished by NASA

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News
Date
October 2, 2020

Categorized
Arts & Culture, Natural Intelligence, Neuroscience

Tagged
Animal Intelligence, Cell intelligence, Crows, Dogs, Featured, Geoffrey Simmons, Hit Refresh, Michael Egnor, Robert J. Marks, Roger Penrose, Satya Nadella, soul, Spirit, split-brain surgery}

Why a Science Fiction Writer Thinks Life Is More Than Just Matter

_{Many animals and even bacteria show behavior that smacks of thinking, he says} _{News
October 2, 2020

8

Arts & Culture, Natural Intelligence, Neuroscience}

Science fiction author and retired internist Geoffrey Simmons talks about the amazing intelligence that life forms, even cells, show.

Stunning jar with piece of forest, save the earth concept

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News
Date
September 19, 2020

Categorized
Arts & Culture, Philosophy of Mind

Tagged
Matt Williams, Michael Egnor, Nick Bostrom, Planetarium Hypothesis, Science fiction, Simulation hypothesis}

How Can We Be Sure We Are Not Just An ET’s Simulation?

_{A number of books and films are based on the Planetarium Hypothesis. Should we believe it?} _{News
September 19, 2020

9

Arts & Culture, Philosophy of Mind}

Science and science fiction writer Matt Williams has been writing a series at Universe Today on why the extraterrestrial intelligences that many believe must exist in our universe never show up. Last week, we looked at the Prime Directive hypothesis (The Directive is, don’t interfere in the evolution of alien societies, even if you have good intentions.”) This week, let’s look at the Planetarium hypothesis, the sixth in his series: “humanity is in a simulation, and the aliens are the ones running it! In order to ensure that human beings do not become aware of this fact, they ensure that the simulation presents us with a “Great Silence” whenever we look out and listen to the depths of space.” (August Read More ›

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News
Date
September 10, 2020

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Philosophy of Mind, Religion

Tagged
aboutness, Bernardo Kastrup, Computers, Consciousness, cosmopsychism, Featured, intentionality, Michael Egnor, Near-death experiences, Nokia, Ray Kurzweil}

Michael Egnor: What Happens to Our Consciousness After We Die?

_{Computer programmer and philosopher Bernardo Kastrup provides a surprising answer} _{News
September 10, 2020

11

Artificial Intelligence, Philosophy of Mind, Religion}

In this week’s podcast, “Can Computers Think?”, Michael Egnor continued his discussion with philosopher and computer programmer Bernardo Kastrup. As a scientist, Bernardo has worked for The European Organization for Nuclear Research and for Phillips Research Laboratories, and has authored many academic papers and books. This week, they look at a big question, “Will computers ever be conscious?”. But Egnor brought up an even bigger one: “What happens to our consciousness after we die?” As a scientist, Kastrup has worked for The European Organization for Nuclear Research and for Phillips Research Laboratories and has authored many academic papers and books. He is a leading advocate of cosmopsychism, the idea that intelligence did not randomly evolve somehow to help life forms Read More ›

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News
Date
September 3, 2020

Categorized
Philosophy of Mind, Religion

Tagged
Bernardo Kastrup, cosmopsychism, Featured, free will, George Berkeley (1685–1753), god, Idealism, Materialism, Michael Egnor, Naturalism}

Does Physics Today Point to Mind Rather Than Matter Only?

_{A cosmopsychist looks at the universe, God, and free will} _{News
September 3, 2020

12

Philosophy of Mind, Religion}

Bernardo Kastrup tells Michael Egnor that he does not think God is self-reflective. That, he thinks, is a unique job for humans.

Glorious Sky - Elements of this Image Furnished by NASA

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News
Date
August 20, 2020

Categorized
Philosophy of Mind, Science

Tagged
___longform, Bernardo Kastrup, Consciousness, cosmopsychism, Featured, Michael Egnor, Panpsychism, Sabine Hossenfelder}

Bernardo Kastrup Argues for a Universal Mind as a Reasonable Idea

_{The challenge, he says, is not why there is consciousness but why there are so many separate instances of consciousnesses} _{News
August 20, 2020

9

Philosophy of Mind, Science}

In a recent podcast, Michael Egnor continued his discussion with philosopher and computer programmer Bernardo Kastrup; This week, the topic was panpsychism and cosmopsychism. (Last week, the topic was why consciousness couldn’t just evolve from the mud.) https://episodes.castos.com/mindmatters/Mind-Matters-096-Bernardo-Kastrup.mp3 A partial transcript follows: (The complete transcript is here. The Show Notes and Resources are below.) Dr. Kastrup made clear that he is not a panpsychism but rather a cosmopsychist. He explains the difference, defining panpsychism as follows: Bernardo Kastrup (pictured): Panpsychism, well, to be more accurately called constitutive panpsychism, it’s the notion that at least some of the elementary particles that constitutes the universe, at least some of them, are fundamentally conscious. In other words, they have experiential states, fundamental experiential Read More ›

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News
Date
August 13, 2020

Categorized
Philosophy of Mind, Science

Tagged
___longform, Bernardo Kastrup, Consciousness, Darwinism, Evolution, Featured, god, Intelligent design theory, Jerry Coyne, Jerry Fodor, Materialism, Michael Egnor, Natural selection, Panpsychism, Philosophy, What Darwin Got Wrong (book)}

Why Consciousness Couldn’t Just Evolve from the Mud

_{Kastrup, a panpsychist, is sympathetic to the basic intuitions behind the idea that there is design in nature (intelligent design theory)} _{News
August 13, 2020

10

Philosophy of Mind, Science}

In a recent podcast, “Does the Moon Exist if No One is Looking at It?”, neurosurgeon Michael Egnor interviewed philosopher and computer programmer Bernardo Kastrup. Dr. Kastrup has been, in Dr. Egnor’s words, “leading a modern renaissance of metaphysical idealism”—that is, reality is essentially mental rather than physical.

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Denyse O'Leary
Date
July 25, 2020

Categorized
Natural Intelligence, Philosophy of Mind

Tagged
___longform, Bonobos, Kanzi, Michael Egnor, Sue Savage-Rumbaugh}

But, in the End, Did the Chimpanzee Really Talk?

_{A recent article in the Smithsonian Magazine sheds light on the motivations behind the need to see bonobos as something like an oppressed people, rather than apes in need of protection} _{Denyse O'Leary
July 25, 2020

10

Natural Intelligence, Philosophy of Mind}

Recently, Michael Egnor commented on radical primatologist Sue Savage-Rumbaugh’s effort to level the playing field between humans and bonobos by including the latter as authors of a research paper on animal welfare: “Non-human animals don’t have abstract knowledge-making and practices that would allow them to be meaningfully consulted. It is reality, not anthropocentric bias, that has left animals out of this decision-making process.” There is a larger and very interesting story around that paper, recently relayed at Smithsonian Magazine by Lindsay Stern (right), a PhD candidate in comparative literature at Yale and author of a novel, The Study of Animal Languages. Her article tells us a good deal about the motivations of those who, essentially, see bonobos not as apes Read More ›

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News
Date
July 16, 2020

Categorized
Natural Intelligence, Philosophy of Mind, Science

Tagged
___longform, Bernardo Kastrup, Christof Koch, Consciousness, David Papineau, Electrons, Featured, Giulio Tononi, Johannes Kleiner, Michael Egnor, Sabine Hossenfelder, Tam Hunt}

At Nautilus: Electrons DO have a “rudimentary mind”

_{Panpsychists in science believe that nature is all there is but, they say, it includes consciousness as a fundamental fact of nature} _{News
July 16, 2020

7

Natural Intelligence, Philosophy of Mind, Science}

Consciousness has traditionally been thought to correlate in some way with life but panpsychists in science are now challenging that view.

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News
Date
July 6, 2020

Categorized
Global Technology, Philosophy of Mind, Technocracy

Tagged
Featured, free will, Lucas Skrobot, Michael Egnor, totalitarianism}

Michael Egnor: Denying Free Will Is Totalitarian

_{News
July 6, 2020

2

Global Technology, Philosophy of Mind, Technocracy}

Specifically, “The denial of free will is the cornerstone of totalitarian systems.” That’s what he told podcaster Lucas Skrobot in the second of two podcast discussions: Dr. Michael Egnor | Free Will and Totalitarian Ideologies (Part 2 of 2) [E152] Neurosurgeon Michael Egnor has written a fair bit on free will for Mind Matters News. Here are some selections to consider: No free will means no justice: “Free will is the cornerstone of all human rights and the cornerstone of our Constitutional rights. The denial of free will is, literally, the denial of human freedom. Without free will, we are livestock, without the presumption of innocence, without actual innocence, and without rights. A justice system that has no respect for Read More ›

Psychology concept. Sunrise and woman silhouette.

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News
Date
July 4, 2020

Categorized
Neuroscience, Philosophy of Mind

Tagged
Featured, Lucas Skrobot, Michael Egnor, p-zombie}

Neurosurgeon Explains Why You Are Not a Zombie

_{News
July 4, 2020

2

Neuroscience, Philosophy of Mind}

Podcaster Lucas Skrobot recently interviewed neurosurgeon Michael Egnor on the difference between the mind and the brain. Egnor told him, “My wife jokes with me that meeting me is always the worst part of a person’s life.” At 22:08, Dr. Egnor provides a thought experiment to explain that minds must transcend materials—the zombie problem. The zombie problem? Ah yes, the philosophers’ zombie: For that, you might also see one of Egnor’s articles: “Neuroscientist Michael Graziano should meet the p-zombie.” To understand consciousness, we need to establish what it is not before we create any more new theories: A p-zombie (a philosophical zombie, as distinguished from the kind that sells movies) is identical to a human being but has no first-person Read More ›

Double exposure portrait of attractive and young girl

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News
Date
May 6, 2020

Categorized
Philosophy of Mind

Tagged
brain, David Papineau, Dualism, Featured, Michael Egnor, mind, Physicalism}

Philosopher: Consciousness is Not a Problem. Dualism Is!

_{Physicalist David Papineau says consciousness is just “brain processes that feel like something”} _{News
May 6, 2020

7

Philosophy of Mind}

Physicalist David Papineau argues that consciousness “seems mysterious not because of any hidden essence, but only because we think about it in a special way.” In short, it’s all in our heads. But wait, say others, the hard problem of consciousness is not so easily dismissed.

Sick girl lying on the hospital bed and her mom kiss to support.

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post

News
Date
April 20, 2020

Categorized
Medicine and Health, Neuroscience, Philosophy of Mind

Tagged
Abstract thought, Coma, concrete thought, Featured, Michael Egnor, perceptual thought, Robert J. Marks, Terri Schiavo}

Can People in Comas Have Abstract Thoughts?

_{Neurosurgeon Michael Egnor discusses how we might test for that ability} _{News
April 20, 2020

9

Medicine and Health, Neuroscience, Philosophy of Mind}

In the recent podcast, “Michael Egnor on Whether People in Comas Can Think,” Robert J. Marks raised an interesting point with Egnor: Can people in comas think abstractly or do they form thoughts only at a much more basic level, given how physically distressed they are? The answer might surprise you.

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News
Date
April 15, 2020

Categorized
Medicine and Health, Neuroscience, Philosophy of Mind

Tagged
___longform, Adrian Owen, Coma, Featured, functional magnetic resonance imaging, Michael Egnor, Persistent vegetative state (PVS), Robert J. Marks, Terri Schiavo}

Can Loved Ones in a Coma Hear Us?

_{Modern brain imaging studies show that very often they can. And, with help from new technology, they can answer us too} _{News
April 15, 2020

9

Medicine and Health, Neuroscience, Philosophy of Mind}

Pioneering research using brain imaging (fMRI) over the last fifteen years has shown that, even in deep coma, people can hear, understand, and respond. It’s no longer just anecdotes from caregivers. The controversial Terri Schiavo case might be decided very differently today.

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post

News
Date
April 4, 2020

Categorized
Medicine and Health, Neuroscience, Philosophy of Mind

Tagged
___longform, Featured, Michael Egnor, Mind-Brain Distinction, Robert J. Marks, Roger Sperry, split-brain surgery}

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.