^TagPhilosophy of Mind

^{Type
post

Author
News
Date
September 19, 2023

Categorized
Philosophy of Mind

Tagged
mind, mind-brain problem, Minding the Brain, Neuroscience, Philosophy of Mind, Robert J. Marks}

The Mind is More than the Brain

_{A new anthology, out today, features 25 philosophers with fresh insights on the mind-body problem.} _{News

September 19, 2023

4

Philosophy of Mind}

An exciting new anthology from Discovery Institute Press is out today: Minding the Brain: Models of the Mind, Information, and Empirical Science, in which 25 philosophers and scientists offer fresh insights into the mind-brain debate, drawing on psychology, neurology, philosophy, computer science, and neurosurgery. Their provocative conclusion? The mind is indeed more than the brain. We will be offering brief excerpts here in weeks to come. The Mind-Brain Problem The book is edited by Angus J. Menuge, Brian R. Krouse, and Robert J. Marks, who explain in the Introduction: Is your mind the same thing as your brain? Or are there aspects of mind that are external to the biology of the brain? This question, referred to as the mind-body problem Read More ›

^{Type
post

Author
Peter Biles
Date
May 23, 2023

Categorized
Philosophy

Tagged
Book, J.P. Moreland, Materialism, Mind-Brain Distinction, Philosophy of Mind, substance dualism, Wiley Blackwell}

The Ultimate Defense of Substance Dualism

_{Philosopher J.P. Moreland is the co-author of an upcoming tome in defense of the soul} _{Peter Biles

May 23, 2023

3

Philosophy}

For decades, materialism has dominated the philosophical conversation. Before the 19th and 20th centuries, however, such a worldview was largely untenable. Most thinkers accepted the reality of both the body and the soul, the physical and the immaterial. What happened? And why do we see the resurgence of a fascination with consciousness and panpsychism, and a renewal of belief in the soul? Philosopher J. P. Moreland, a Fellow of Discovery Institute’s Center for Science and Culture and the author of dozens of books, has an upcoming book dealing with exactly these questions. It is The Substance of Consciousness: A Comprehensive Defense of Contemporary Substance Dualism (Oxford: Wiley Blackwell, 2023). Dr. Moreland, a professor at Biola University, is co-author with Brandon Rickabaugh, who is Read More ›

Conceptual art, concept of problem mind psychology freedom and solution, surreal painting, jigsaw puzzle on human head.

^{Type
post

Author
Michael Egnor
Date
March 8, 2023

Categorized
Philosophy of Mind

Tagged
Catholicism, Consciousness, Darwin, Evolution, free will, Materialism, Matter, Michael Egnor, mind, Neuroscience, Philosophy of Mind, reason}

Kenneth Miller on Consciousness and Evolution

_{Despite Miller's claims, neither human reason nor free will evolved because neither are generated by material processes} _{Michael Egnor

March 8, 2023

8

Philosophy of Mind}

Kenneth Miller is a biologist at Brown University who has been very active in his written and vocal support for Darwin’s theory of evolution. He’s neither a materialist nor an atheist – he is a Catholic, and in being one of the rare Darwinists who doesn’t subscribe wholeheartedly to the materialist/atheist paradigm, he allows himself to be used as a token theist by the Darwinists. It helps his career, no doubt, but doesn’t advance the truth. Not an admirable place to be. Miller’s New Book and What it Misses In his 2018 book The Human Instinct: How We Evolved To Have Reason, Consciousness, and Free Will, Miller manages a feat uncommon even for Darwinists – even the title of the Read More ›

Looking through glasses to bleach nature landscape - tulips field. Color blindness. World perception during depression. Medical condition. Health and disease concept.

^{Type
podcast

Author
Robert J. Marks
Date
May 13, 2021

Tagged
Christof Koch, Consciousness, Frank Jackson, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, Gregory Chaitin, Henry Stapp, Integrated Information Theory (IIT), John von Neumann, Knowledge Argument, Lynne Rudder Baker, Near-death experiences, Ned Block, Panpsychism, Paul Churchland, phenomenal consciousness, Philosophy of Mind, qualia, quantum consciousness, Roger Penrose, Stephen Hawking, Thomas Nagel}

Dr. Angus Menuge: Models of Consciousness (Part II)

_{Robert J. Marks

May 13, 2021

1}

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 00:26 | Introducing Dr. Angus Menuge 01:01 | Phenomenal consciousness and qualia 07:25 | Experiencing Read More ›

Black silhouettes of people looking through telescope on big red moon in dark twilight on shore.

^{Type
podcast

Author
Michael Egnor
Date
August 13, 2020

Tagged
Arthur Schopenhauer, Bernardo Kastrup, Five Ways, free will, immateriality, Many Worlds interpretation, Materialism, Michael Egnor, Moral Responsibility, Philosophy of Mind, Physics, Quantum Entanglement, Quantum Mechanics, Quantum Physics, subjective idealism, Thomas Aquinas}

Does the Moon Exist if No One is Looking at It?

_{Michael Egnor

August 13, 2020

1}

Is our physical reality purely subjective or is it objective? Why has materialim been around for so long? Do we have free will? Dr. Michael Egnor and Dr. Bernardo Kastrup discuss physics, idealism, materialism, and free will. Show Notes 00:28 | Introducing Dr. Bernardo Kastrup 01:22 | How quantum mechanics points to the mind 02:40 | Does the moon exist Read More ›

Be Reasonable written in neon on a brick wall

^{Type
post

Author
Michael Egnor
Date
May 24, 2019

Categorized
Natural Intelligence, Philosophy of Mind

Tagged
Animal Mind, Atheism, Featured, Justin E.H. Smith, Natural Intelligence, Philosophy of Mind, reason}

An Atheist Argues Against Reason

_{And thinks it is the reasonable thing to do} _{Michael Egnor

May 24, 2019

9

Natural Intelligence, Philosophy of Mind}

Justin Smith is leading the way to the abandonment of rationality. There’s not a shred of reason in his essay.

The Junk Science of the Abortion Lobby

_{Fetuses not only experience pain but experience it more intensely than do adults} _{Michael Egnor

January 28, 2019

5

Ethics, Medicine and Health, Neuroscience}

Much of pro-abortion advocacy is science denial—the deliberate misrepresentation of science to advance an ideological agenda. Mary Ziegler, a law professor at Florida State University, wrote a misleading essay on that theme in the New York Times, “Science won’t end this debate” (January 22, 2019). Read More ›

Abstract Looking Into a Kaleidoscope Background Geometric Shapes

^{Type
post

Author
Michael Egnor
Date
December 31, 2018

Categorized
Philosophy of Mind

Tagged
Aristotle, Featured, Immanuel Kant, intentionality, John Locke, Longform, Neuroscience, Noumenal, Peter Carruthers, Phenomenal, phenomenology, Philosophy of Mind, qualia, Thomas Aquinas}

In One Sense, Consciousness IS an Illusion…

_{We have no knowledge of the processes of our consciousness, only of the objects of its attention, whether they are physical, emotional, or abstract} _{Michael Egnor

December 31, 2018

8

Philosophy of Mind}

When we think, we think about reality, not about the neurological processes by which we connect to reality. It is by keeping this understanding clearly in mind that we escape the solipsism that bedevils modern neuroscience. Read More ›

^{Type
post

Author
Robert J. Marks
Date
December 28, 2018

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Social Factors

Tagged
2018 AI Hype, Artificial Intelligence, ethics, Machine Learning, Philosophy of Mind, robotics, Saudi Arabia, Social Factors, Sophia}

4: Making AI Look More Human Makes It More Human-like!

_{AI help, not hype, with Robert J. Marks: Technicians can do a lot these days with automated lip-syncs and smiles but what’s behind them?} _{Robert J. Marks

December 28, 2018

6

Artificial Intelligence, Social Factors}

This summer, some were simply agog over “Sophia, the First Robot Citizen” (“unsettling as it is awe-inspiring”) Read More ›

^{Type
post

Author
Michael Egnor
Date
December 10, 2018

Categorized
Natural Intelligence, Philosophy of Mind

Tagged
Animal Intelligence, Animal Minds, Designators, Featured, Language, Philosophy of Mind, Signals, Signs}

How is Human Language Different from Animal Signals?

_{What do we need from language that we cannot get from signals alone?} _{Michael Egnor

December 10, 2018

7

Natural Intelligence, Philosophy of Mind}

Language, which is the rule-based use of abstract designators, is essential for abstract thought because only designators can point to things that have no concrete physical existence. Only human beings think abstractly, and language is what makes abstract thought possible. Read More ›

^{Type
post

Author
Jonathan Bartlett
Date
December 3, 2018

Categorized
Ethics

Tagged
Framework (science fiction), Mind Uploading, Nectome, Neuroscience, Philosophy of Mind, Social Factors, Technocracy, uploading consciousness}

AI and the Future of Murder

_{If I kill you but upload your mind into an android, did I murder you or just modify you?} _{Jonathan Bartlett

December 3, 2018

4

Ethics}

The sci-fi TV series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (2013– ) tackled this question in an episode titled “Self Control”. Scientist Holden Radcliffe has an android assistant appropriately named Aida (Artificial Intelligence Digital Assistant). Together, they build a virtual world that people could be plugged into and uploaded into, called The Framework. Read More ›

^{Type
post

Author
Eric Holloway
Date
November 29, 2018

Categorized
Philosophy of Mind

Tagged
Agency, Alex Rosenberg, Determinism, Featured, free will, intentionality, Longform, Mind-Brain Distinction, Natural Intelligence, Neuroscience, Philosophy of Mind, Reductionism, soul}

Has Neuroscience Disproved Thinking?

_{A philosopher argues that Nobel Prize-winning research shows that the theory of mind is just another illusion, useful for survival and success} _{Eric Holloway

November 29, 2018

11

Philosophy of Mind}

We've all seen this sort of argument before in many other guises. It is commonly called “reductionism.” The reductionist claims that, because an object can be construed as made up of parts, the object is just the parts. It is like saying that because an article like this one is constructed from letters of the alphabet, the article is only rows of letters. Read More ›

^{Type
post

Author
Mind Matters
Date
November 12, 2018

Categorized
Philosophy of Mind

Tagged
Apocalypticism, Consciousness, Cyborgs, Human Nature, Mars, Martin Rees, On the Future (book), Philosophy of Mind}

Noted Astronomer Envisions Cyborgs on Mars

_{Sir Martin Rees thinks of this “post-human evolution” as going beyond Darwin to “secular intelligent design.”} _{Mind Matters

November 12, 2018

4

Philosophy of Mind}

AI apocalypse is certainly in the air. Elon Musk, Henry Kissinger, and the late Stephen Hawking have all predicted an AI doomsday. Industry professionals’ doubt and disparagement don’t seem to register with the media in the same way. Read More ›

^{Type
post

Author
Jay Richards
Date
October 12, 2018

Categorized
Philosophy of Mind

Tagged
Chinese Room, John Searle, Materialism, Philosophy of Mind}

A Short Argument Against the Materialist Account of the Mind

_{You can simply picture yourself eating a chocolate ice cream sundae.} _{Jay Richards

October 12, 2018

5

Philosophy of Mind}

We have thoughts and ideas—what philosophers call “intentional” states—that are about things other than themselves. We don’t really know how this works. But whenever we speak to another person, we assume it must be true. And in our own case, we know it’s true. Even to deny it is to affirm it. Read More ›

^{Type
post

Author
Michael Egnor
Date
October 4, 2018

Categorized
Philosophy of Mind

Tagged
Featured, free will, Neuroscience, Philosophy of Mind, Social Factors, totalitarianism, Yuval Noah Harari}

Is Free Will a Dangerous Myth?

_{The denial of free will is a much more dangerous myth} _{Michael Egnor

October 4, 2018

10

Philosophy of Mind}

Denial of free will, in a culture of pervasive surveillance, is the straightest road to totalitarianism. Read More ›

^{Type
post

Author
Michael Egnor
Date
September 21, 2018

Categorized
Natural Intelligence

Tagged
Artificial Intelligence, ethics, immateriality, intellect, passions, Philosophy of Mind, will}

Apes Can Be Generous

_{Are they just like humans then?} _{Michael Egnor

September 21, 2018

9

Natural Intelligence}

If we are to genuinely understand machines, animals, and ourselves, we need to clearly understand that it is the immateriality of human intellect and will—our capacity to think and act abstractly— that makes us radically (i.e. ontologically) different from any animal or machine. Read More ›

^{Type
post

Author
Mind Matters
Date
September 20, 2018

Categorized
Natural Intelligence

Tagged
intelligence, octopus, Philosophy of Mind, robotics}

Is the octopus a “second genesis of intelligence”?

_{Can its strange powers provide insights for robotics or the human mind?} _{Mind Matters

September 20, 2018

3

Natural Intelligence}

What’s really interesting about these stories is that, while we are learning that there is much intelligence in the animal (and plant) world, including some that can be applied to robotics, very little sheds light on explicitly human intelligence. Read More ›

The young and conceptual image of a large stone in the shape of the human brain

^{Type
post

Author
Michael Egnor
Date
August 7, 2018

Categorized
Neuroscience, Philosophy of Mind

Tagged
Brain Injury, brain loss, brain surgery, cerebellum, Neuroscience, Philosophy of Mind, phrenology, Werner Heisenberg}

The Brain Is Not a “Meat Computer”

_{Dramatic recoveries from brain injury highlight the difference} _{Michael Egnor

August 7, 2018

6

Neuroscience, Philosophy of Mind}

The brain looks like a computer only if we analyze it as if it were a computer. Our analysis does not mean that it is a computer, and it does not mean that computation explains the mind or even that computational approaches to neuroscience provide genuinely meaningful insight into neurophysiology.

Can free will even be an illusion?

_{Michael Egnor reiterates the freeing implications of quantum indeterminacy} _{Denyse O'Leary

July 25, 2018

3

Philosophy of Mind}

Many say so. For example, at Cosmos, senior artificial intelligence research scientist Alfredo Metere explains, … there is a causal relationship between the Big Bang and us. In other words, free will is not allowed, and all of our actions are just a mere consequence of that first event. Such a view is known as “determinism”, or “super-determinism” (if one finds it productive to reinvent the wheel). He asserts that today we know the universe to be chaotic. Because the cosmos is clearly chaotic, we can observe time-reversibility only locally, rather than globally. This in turn means that free will is an inevitable illusion for us humans, due to our subjective perception of the universe, rather than its innermost nature. Read More ›