Mind Matters Natural and Artificial Intelligence News and Analysis

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Boredom Eats the Soul

Are we entering the darkest night in history?

Boredom can also be a proxy for other risk factors, leading to self-destructive behaviours such as drug/alcohol abuse, hardcore pornography addiction, unbridled promiscuity, crime, and, in the worst-case scenario, suicide.

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Brain psychology mind soul and hope concept art, 3d illustration, surreal artwork, imagination painting, conceptual idea

Does the ‘Mind Have its Own Place’?

And does Trump’s Mind Matter When He Echos “Paradise Lost”?

Let us not forget that the Founding Fathers of the US Constitution all read, and were probably influenced, by Milton’s poem.

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Brain psychology mind soul and hope concept art, 3d illustration, surreal artwork, imagination painting, conceptual idea

Demons from the Id

One such strange condition of mental turmoil is schizophrenia.

A retired psychotherapist from Arizona who spent some 40 years working in hospitals and prisons with schizophrenic patients, was quite disturbed when his analysis of some patients pointed to the supernatural.

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Charting Consciousness.

Six Theories of Consciousness

Everybody talks about AI becoming conscious, but no one ever defines what consciousness is.

Who gave consciousness and creativity to whoever or whatever is responsible for simulating us, and who simulated our simulator?

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prehistoric caveman standing by a fire inside a cave, holding a spear, wearing fur clothing, and gazing into the flames with intensity.

Paper Defends Spoken Language in Homo erectus

The first thing that comes to mind in the context of intellectual capabilities is brain size.

The descent of the larynx and the hyoid is among the anatomical traits appealing to research on flexibility and complexity in vocal communication.

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Male Portrait With Illuminated Brain Having Enlightment Moment, Blue Background

Dr. Mihretu Guta on The Nature of Consciousness

On this archive “bingecast” episode of Mind Matters News, hosts Robert J. Marks and Angus Menuge welcome Dr. Mihretu Guta to discuss his contribution to the book Minding the Brain. The discussion covers a number of relevant topics, highlighting the profound and puzzling nature of consciousness and the importance of philosophical inquiry in grappling with this fundamental aspect of human experience.

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Wolf Spider

Do Spiders Dream of Arachnology Professors?

How did the spider know that the mirror on my car would attract its prey during daytime hours?

But webs aside, consider the other strange, sometimes ingenious, tiny creatures/organisms, like a colony of termites, that produce astonishing land structures.

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Hands, doctors and tablet for brain scan, neurology and MRI on screen for team collaboration at clinic. People, medical research and healthcare professional with app, xray or neuroscience at hospital

Exploring the Immaterial Mind: Insights from Neuroscience and Thomistic Philosophy

Debate continues on the nature of the mind. Are our minds purely material and comprised only of our physical brains? Does idealism ring true with its views of physical experiences arising solely from a non-physical mind? Or is a dualist position with aspects of both an accurate view? Joining us today to talk about this and his contribution to the Read More ›

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mind, body, spirit, soul and you

Are Human Beings Machines? Surgeon and Historian Go Head-to-Head

At COSM 2025, neurosurgeon Michael Egnor and Skeptic Magazine editor Michael Shermer faced off on some of the most critical questions of our lives

Egnor says there is massive evidence that the mind is not simply what the brain does but Shermer insists that it is all unexplained natural phenomena.

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Psychology. the scientific study of mind and behavior. the behavior of humans and nonhumans, both conscious and unconscious phenomena and mental processes.

How Neuroscience and Philosophy Combine to Illuminate the Nature of Consciousness

Today on Mind Matters News, hosts Robert J. Marks and Brian Krouse continues their conversation with Dr. Joseph Green on how we can bridge the gap between cutting-edge neuroscience and philosophy of mind. Green is author of a chapter in the volume Minding the Brain called “On the Limitations of Cutting-Edge Neuroscience.” In today’s installment, the discussion first touches on the concept Read More ›

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A stunning illustration of a brain depicted with glowing neural connections and lights, representing creativity and intelligence abstractly.

Bridging the Gap Between Neuroscience and Philosophy of Mind

On this episode of Mind Matters News, hosts Robert J. Marks and Brian Krouse continue their conversation with Dr. Joseph Green on the limitations of cutting-edge neuroscience. In this segment, the focus turns to the philosophical questions involved. As Dr. Green explains, neuroscience is limited in its ability to answer philosophical questions about the nature of the mind and its Read More ›

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close up of human brain, neurons firing, neural extensions, cognitive learning plasticity

How Humility and Curiosity Can Help Neuroscience Mature

Modern neuroscience has made some truly amazing advances in recent decades. But even though we can record, map, and even manipulate brain activity in ways that once seemed impossible, we still don’t really understand how the brain actually works. This gap in understanding has led to a kind of overconfidence, and sometimes even over-claiming by scientists. So how do we Read More ›

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Brain head human mental idea mind 3D illustration background

Iain McGilchrist on Consciousness, Materialism, and Religion

Don't forget the right side of the brain

“The left hemisphere, left to itself, is deluded,” says McGilchrist. It lacks context. It will try to force things into its own purview.

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Human Body Energy. Spiritual Aura with Astral Body Silhouette in Abstract Space Background

Which Theory of Mind Best Explains Reality? More with Dr. J.P. Moreland

Is reality merely the sum of our primitive parts? Or is there something greater that informs and unifies us? On today’s episode, guest host Pat Flynn continues a conversation with Dr. J.P. Moreland to discuss the implications of competing metaphysical theories of the mind and which theory best accounts for the existence of the soul. In this segment, Moreland and Read More ›

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immortal soul

Foundations of the Soul: A Conversation with J.P. Moreland

Today, guest host Pat Flynn welcomes Dr. J.P. Moreland to the Mind Matters News podcast to discuss which of the main metaphysical theories can best account for the existence of the soul. Moreland argues that the soul is a real, non-physical entity that has consciousness and exists separately from the physical brain. He presents three empirically equivalent theories – strict Read More ›

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AI manipulates consumer behavior, concerns over free will in marketplace.

Neuroscience, Free Will, and the Soul

Join host Dr. Robert J. Marks for the third segment of his conversation with neurosurgeon Dr. Michael Egnor about evidence he presents in his new book The Immortal Mind: A Neurosurgeon’s Case for the Existence of the Soul. Today’s discussion tackles three profound questions. Number one, do I have free will? Number two, can consciousness be duplicated? And number three, what Read More ›

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Big data and artificial intelligence concept. Human brain glowing from processor, symbolizing the fusion of human intelligence and machine learning capabilities. Evolution of technology of data.

Bill Dembski: The Power of Information and the Limits of AI

If you’re going to binge anyone, it might as well be Bill Dembski. On this episode of Mind Matters News, get your fill of insight and wisdom from Dr. Dembski, a senior fellow at Discovery Institute and a Distinguished Fellow with the Walter Bradley Center for Natural and Artificial Intelligence. Here, he is interviewed by neurosurgeon Dr. Michael Egnor. The Read More ›

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set of books

Are We Experiencing a Universal Cognitive Decline?

People are increasingly having trouble reading, focusing, and solving complex problems.

A new study shows that people are struggling more than ever to read, concentrate, and solve problems. The research comes just a few months after Oxford’s indicative decision to make “Brain Rot” its 2024 “Word of the Year.” Common experience itself lends itself to the conclusion that we are struggling to focus, that our attention is fragmented, and that simply thinking about one issue for more than a few seconds is difficult. The Financial Times reported that intelligence and reasoning capacities have declined since the early 2010s. While the COVID-19 pandemic is commonly blamed for the plummet and is indeed responsible for much of the cognitive decline, the downward trend preceded the crisis according to the study. John Burn-Murdoch reports: Read More ›