Mind Matters Natural and Artificial Intelligence News and Analysis

TagPatricia Churchland

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Stylish composition of home garden interior filled a lot of beautiful plants, cacti, succulents, air plant in different design pots. Home gardening concept Home jungle. Copy spcae. Template

Philosopher Hollers Whoa! Are Plants Really Conscious?

Pigliucci worries about the claim. But if human consciousness 1) exists and 2) is fully natural, some scientists would of course argue that plants share it
Darwinism’s failure to simply *eliminate* the human mind, as promised, enabled a Pandora’s box of materialist claims for consciousness in all life forms. Read More ›
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Bottle of prescription medication.

The “Morality Pill” Hormone Does Not Make People “Nicer”

After an initial buzz as a “love hormone” we should all be dosed with, oxytocin started to reveal a big down side

Recently, we looked at the revival of enthusiasm for a morality pill on the grounds that it could make people do what authorities say with respect to COVID-19. Many of these proposals focus on the neuropeptide oxytocin. As a current advocate explains, These substances interact directly with the psychological underpinnings of moral behavior; others that make you more rational could also help. Then, perhaps, the people who choose to go maskless or flout social distancing guidelines would better understand that everyone, including them, is better off when they contribute, and rationalize that the best thing to do is cooperate. Paul Crutchfield, The Conversation, “‘Morality pills’ may be the US’s best shot at ending the coronavirus pandemic, according to one ethicist” Read More ›