Tag: Physics

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podcast

Robert J. Marks
Date
November 4, 2026

Tagged
heaven, Mathematics, multiple dimensions, Physics, theology}

Where Is Heaven? What Physics and Math Tell Us About Multiple Dimensions

_{Robert J. Marks
November 4, 2026

3}

When we are asked to point to heaven, we point up. But that’s not where heaven is. That’s outer space. Today on Mind Matters News, host Robert J. Marks shares a lecture he recently gave in his Baylor University course Multidimensional Signal Analysis entitled “Where is Heaven?” The speculative talk approaches the concept of multiple dimensions from mathematical and theological angles to ask whether heaven might exist in dimensions beyond the ones we can perceive.

Dynamic cyber big data flow: blockchain networks intersecting with ai technology and digital communication. Vibrant 3d illustration of music waves and science research

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post

Peter Biles
Date
October 10, 2024

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence

Tagged
AI, Artificial Intelligence, ChatGPT, Consciousness, Geoffrey Hinton, Google, Nobel Prize, OpenAI, Physics, Sam Altman}

Hinton and Hopfield Win Nobel Prize in Physics

_{Hinton warns against neglecting AI safety} _{Peter Biles
October 10, 2024

4

Artificial Intelligence}

Geoffrey E. Hinton, a pioneer in the field of artificial intelligence responsible for helping develop “neural networks,” has been awarded the 2024 Nobel Prize alongside John J. Hopfield. The two scientists won the award for their groundbreaking work in machine intelligence, paving the way for a revolutionary new way to use computers. Hinton attracted attention just last year when he departed from Google and started warning the public about the potential dangers of new AI systems. He likened the AI revolution to the Industrial Revolution of the nineteenth century, only this time, it won’t be our physical capacities that get trumped by the machine, but our intellects. The New York Times reports, “It will be comparable with the Industrial Revolution,” Read More ›

Image of an expanding universe. shot from far away with many colours, beautiful.

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post

News
Date
April 23, 2024

Categorized
Cosmology

Tagged
Astronomy, Big Bang, cosmology, Einstein, Expanding universe, Physics, Roger Penrose, space, Time}

The New Book on the Big Bang that Roger Penrose is Praising

_{Meet the forgotten men who discovered evidence for an expanding universe.} _{News
April 23, 2024

8

Cosmology}

Hubble did provide evidence of an expanding universe, but he neither discovered such evidence nor accepted the radical idea that space itself was expanding.

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post

Joshua Farris, R.T Mullins
Date
December 12, 2023

Categorized
Philosophy of Mind

Tagged
Atoms, Consciousness, god, Materialism, mind, Philip Goff, Physics, Theism}

Philip Goff’s “Why” and Inflated Success

_{We are still nowhere closer to arriving at a science of consciousness} _{Joshua Farris, R.T Mullins
December 12, 2023

4

Philosophy of Mind}

There’s little of substance favoring this new theory of consciousness. We still need something like a god piloting the universe.

Unstable Atom nucleus with electrons spinning around it technology background

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post

Joshua R. Farris
Date
November 24, 2023

Categorized
Philosophy of Mind

Tagged
Atoms, Consciousness, god, Panpsychism, Philip Goff, Physics, soul}

Reflections on “Are Atoms Conscious?” and Philip Goff

_{Can we admit consciousness without giving into theism?} _{Joshua R. Farris
November 24, 2023

9

Philosophy of Mind}

Goff claims the principle of parsimony is on his side, but what he gives us is minuscule in comparison to theism.

Statue of the ancient Greek philosopher Socrates in Athens, Greece.

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post

Andrew McDiarmid
Date
October 9, 2023

Categorized
Human exceptionalism

Tagged
Biology, Evolution, Human exceptionalism, Human Nature, Life, Physics, Stephen Jay Gould}

David Berlinski: Humans Are Unique

_{Some argue that humans are growing more peaceful, enlightened, and improved by the year, and that a coming technological singularity may well usher in utopia. Berlinski isn’t buying it.} _{Andrew McDiarmid
October 9, 2023

2

Human exceptionalism}

In this conversation and in his book, Berlinski argues that human beings have a fundamental essence that is radically different from other organisms.

View of universe with stars and amazing colorful and deep blue dark

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post

Andrew McDiarmid
Date
September 21, 2023

Categorized
Physics

Tagged
Cormac McCarthy, Lawrence Krauss, Materialism, Mathematics, Physics, Universe}

The Universe and its Mathematical Structure

_{Do humans project mathematics upon nature or vice versa?} _{Andrew McDiarmid
September 21, 2023

2

Physics}

This past June, we published an article featuring a conversation between physicist Lawrence Krauss and novelist Cormac McCarthy, where they discussed whether mathematics was “discovered or invented.” Robert J. Marks went on to write his own thoughts on the question shortly thereafter. If you’re further interested in mathematics and whether there is an actual correspondence between math and the natural world, consider watching new podcast episode featuring Dr. Melissa Cain Travis. Do humans project mathematical order onto nature? Or was it there all along? On a new episode of ID the Future, I conclude a three-part conversation with Dr. Melissa Cain Travis about her recent book Thinking God’s Thoughts: Johannes Kepler and the Miracle of Cosmic Comprehensibility. In Part 3, we look Read More ›

Science and research of the universe, spiral galaxy and physical formulas, concept of knowledge and education

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post

News
Date
August 22, 2023

Categorized
Mathematics

Tagged
god, Intelligent design theory, Mathematics, Numbers, Physics, religion, science}

From Physics to Faith?

_{A podcast episode looking at how physics points to more than meets the eye} _{News
August 22, 2023

2

Mathematics}

Do you recognize the number 1/137.035999206? It might seem arbitrary, but if the fine-structure constant were any higher or lower than it is, you might not exist! On this episode of ID the Future, host Brian Miller kicks off an engaging conversation with Rabbi Elie Feder and Rabbi Aaron Zimmer, hosts of the Physics to God podcast. Feder has a PhD in mathematics and has published articles on graph theory. Zimmer has training in physics, and has studied mathematics, philosophy, and psychology. Both men also have extensive rabbinical training. Through their podcast, Feder and Zimmer invite both secular and religious listeners on a journey through modern physics as they offer rational arguments for an intelligent cause of the universe. In Part 1 of Read More ›

Silhouette of a man, with thoughts in the form of physico-mathematical formulas. The concept of scientific and education topics.

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post

Robert J. Marks
Date
July 6, 2023

Categorized
Mathematics

Tagged
Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, Isaac Newton, Mathematics, Physics, Robert J. Marks, Royal Society}

Is Mathematics Discovered or Invented?

_{Some think math is invented. Evidence, though, points towards discovery.} _{Robert J. Marks
July 6, 2023

5

Mathematics}

Some think math is invented. (See the article by Peter Biles.) Evidence, though, points towards discovery. Simultaneous mathematical discovery supports this viewpoint. Many mathematical breakthroughs are sometimes independently reported by two or more mathematicians at roughly the same time. The most famous is the simultaneous discovery of calculus by Isaac Newton and Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz. Newton was secretive about his discovery and shared his results with only a few members of the Royal Society. When Leibnitz published his discovery of the calculus, Newton charged him with plagiarism. Today, historians agree that the discoveries were independent of each other. Here are some other lesser-known examples of simultaneous discovery. The Papoulis-Gerchberg Algorithm (PGA). The PGA is an ingenious method for recovering lost Read More ›

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post

Peter Biles
Date
June 25, 2023

Categorized
Mathematics, Science

Tagged
Charles Darwin, Cormac McCarthy, Evolution, fiction, Lawrence Krauss, Materialism, Mathematics, novels, Physics, Santa Fe Institute, science, Stella Maris, The Passenger}

Is Mathematics an Illusion? Lawrence Krauss and Cormac McCarthy Discuss

_{McCarthy asked, "Would mathematics be here if we weren't?"} _{Peter Biles
June 25, 2023

3

Mathematics, Science}

In December, physicist and author Lawrence Krauss interviewed the late American novelist Cormac McCarthy, who died on June 13th at the age of 89 in Santa Fe, N.M. McCarthy is famous for his remarkable fictional works like The Road and Blood Meridian, but he was also deeply fascinated with mathematics and science. Apparently, he enjoyed reading science more than he did fiction! He moved to Santa Fe from El Paso to be closer to the Santa Fe Institute, a science think tank where McCarthy would spend time speaking with various physicists, scientists, and mathematicians. His latest two novels, The Passenger and Stella Maris, are about a brother and sister who are both brilliant mathematicians. Towards the beginning of the interview, Read More ›

Law of Universal Gravitation education funny concept. Isaac Newton under an apple tree

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post

Eric Holloway
Date
January 31, 2023

Categorized
Physics

Tagged
Atoms, brain, Ghosts, gravity, Isaac Newton, machine, Materialism, Matter, mind, Mind Brain, Physics}

Blinded by a Defunct Theory

_{The "interaction problem" is everywhere we look in physics, but the dogma of materialism remains} _{Eric Holloway
January 31, 2023

5

Physics}

Materialism. What a weird word. It sounds like a ghost, materializing in front of me. And it is sort of like a ghost, one that has mysteriously taken over the minds of many intelligent people. Because they believe in materialism, these smart people don’t believe in ghosts. Especially the ghost in the machine. The problem is there is no way for the ghost to interact with the machine. This is known as the “mind-body interaction problem”. The great thing about materialism is at least that theory doesn’t have an interaction problem. Any material thing can interact with any other material thing. Yet there is a deep irony. Let’s explore the idea of materialism to see why. Materialism is the idea that reality only consists of matter. Read More ›

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post

News
Date
September 23, 2021

Categorized
Machine Learning, Programming, Science

Tagged
Carver Mead, Featured, Physics}

“Listen to the technology; find out what it’s telling you…”

_{That’s the motto of CalTech’s Carver Mead, who will speak at COSM 2021} _{News
September 23, 2021

4

Machine Learning, Programming, Science}

A COSM 2021 speaker that tech watchers won’t want to miss is CalTech’s Carver Mead (1934–), best known in computer history for pioneering the automation, methodology and teaching of the integrated circuit design used in microprocessors and memories. According to the Lemelson–MIT Student Prize program, “Carver Mead has made many of the Information Age’s most significant advances in microcircuitry, which are essential to the internet access and global cellular phone use that many people enjoy and take for granted every day.” Mead is also honored as a teacher. Forty years at CalTech, he advised the first female electrical engineering student there, Louise Kirkbride, who went on to become a tech developer and inventor in her own right. He has helped Read More ›

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post

News
Date
May 23, 2021

Categorized
Philosophy of Mind, Science

Tagged
Angus Menuge, Consciousness, Dualism, Featured, Physicalism, Physics, Quantum Mechanics, Robert J. Marks, Stephen Hawking, Thomas Nagel}

Can a Materialist Consciousness Theory Survive Quantum Mechanics?

_{Quantum mechanics requires that the observer be part of the measurement; thus quantum measurements must include consciousness} _{News
May 23, 2021

5

Philosophy of Mind, Science}

If quantum measurements must include consciousness, the dualists are correct, says philosopher Angus Menuge: Consciousness exists in its own right.

Neurons electrical pulses. Interconnected neurons with electrical pulses.

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post

News
Date
May 9, 2021

Categorized
Philosophy, Philosophy of Mind, Science

Tagged
Consciousness, Daniel Dennett, Electrons, Galen Strawson, Keith Frankish, Panpsychism, Physics, Robert Wright}

How a Materialist Philosopher Argued His Way to Panpsychism

_{Galen Strawson starts with the one fact of which we are most certain — our own consciousness} _{News
May 9, 2021

7

Philosophy, Philosophy of Mind, Science}

To Strawson, it makes more sense to say that consciousness is physical — and that electrons are conscious — than that consciousness is an illusion.

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post

News
Date
December 3, 2020

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Arts & Culture, Science

Tagged
cosmology, Eric Holloway, Physics, Theory of Everything}

Can a Powerful Enough Computer Work Out a Theory of Everything?

_{Some physicists hope so even if it would put them out of work. But is it possible?} _{News
December 3, 2020

7

Artificial Intelligence, Arts & Culture, Science}

Recently, prominent physicists were asked whether a sufficiently powerful computer could come up with a Theory of Everything, by the sheer power of crunching numbers. As a recent New York Times article by Dennis Overbye shows, physicists were divided and uncertain: “It might be possible, physicists say, but not anytime soon. And there’s no guarantee that we humans will understand the result.” But doubt, in the view of multiverse theorist Max Tegmark, means we are guilty of “carbon chauvinism”—the idea that humans could be smarter than computers. The late Stephen Hawking thought that computers would replace humans and was alarmed by the prospect. According to Overbye, Hawking had been warning that computers would start to replace physicists in particular since Read More ›

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post

News
Date
October 20, 2020

Categorized
Information Theory, Neuroscience, Philosophy of Mind, Science

Tagged
free will, Materialism, Minority Report (film), Physics, Surprisal}

Do We Really Have Free Will? Four Things to Know

_{Free will makes more sense of our world than determinism and science certainly allows for it} _{News
October 20, 2020

7

Information Theory, Neuroscience, Philosophy of Mind, Science}

Free will is a contentious topic in science these days. Theoretical physicists weigh in sharply on one side or the other. Just this month, based on quantum mechanics, mathematician Tim Andersen says maybe and theoretical physicist Sabine Hossenfelder says no. Based on cosmology, the study of our universe, physicist George Ellis said yes last June. With free will, as with consciousness, we don’t fully understand what’s involved. All insights from science are partial so we can’t look to science for a definitive answer. But maybe science can offer some hints. Here are four that might be helpful: 1.Has psychology shown that free will does not really exist? Psychological research on free will has supported the concept of free will but Read More ›

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post

Eric Holloway
Date
August 4, 2020

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Philosophy of Mind, Science

Tagged
Biology, economics, Engineering, Featured, Fine-tuning, Physics}

Why Engineering Can’t Be Reduced to the Laws of Physics

_{When we reduce the engineer’s mind to a computer, the source of innovation disappears} _{Eric Holloway
August 4, 2020

3

Artificial Intelligence, Philosophy of Mind, Science}

The fundamental problem of modern science is the problem of innovation. Where does novelty come from? This problem shows up in physics, biology, artificial intelligence, and economics. Within physics, the problem is how to account for the fundamental constants of reality. They are all precisely tuned to make sentient and intelligent life—life that can learn about itself and the universe—possible through science. Within biology, the problem is accounting for the source of highly complex genetic sequences that express finely tuned biological functions. In artificial intelligence, the challenge is identifying solutions that are relevant to a given scenario. In economics the problem is identifying the right products for the market. What do all these situations have in common? In each case, Read More ›

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post

Robert J. Marks
Date
May 14, 2020

Categorized
Peer Review

Tagged
Albert Einstein, Featured, Frank Tipler, Peer Review, Physics, Scholarly Publishing}

Einstein’s Only Rejected Paper

_{It was the only one reviewed anonymously, as is the practice today} _{Robert J. Marks
May 14, 2020

5

Peer Review}

Today’s collection of scholarly literature is exploding in quantity and deteriorating in quality. One solution is to return to review practices at the time of Einstein. The reviewers were much better qualified and were not anonymous.

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post

Michael Egnor
Date
May 13, 2020

Categorized
Mathematics, Philosophy of Mind

Tagged
Featured, free will, Jerry Coyne, Logic, Physics, Sean Carroll}

Physicist Rejects Free Will — and Thus Fails Logic

_{If we accepted his argument for materialism, we would have to stop believing in it—a curious, self-refuting result} _{Michael Egnor
May 13, 2020

7

Mathematics, Philosophy of Mind}

Carroll’s argument that man is wholly governed by physics is self-refuting. Because physics and logic share no commonality, materialists like Carroll implicitly assert that their own arguments lack logic. One might say that the only thing materialists get right is that their ideas are nonsense. If man is all physics, he can have no logic.

human head powerful inspiration tree abstract thinking inside your mind watercolor painting illustration hand drawn

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post

News
Date
March 14, 2020

Categorized
Philosophy of Mind

Tagged
Annaka Harris, Christof Koch, Massimo Pigliucci, Philip Goff, Physics}

Meet the Serious Panpsychists

_{These are not the "Rocks have minds!" people. They are getting a hearing about the serious problems materialism faces with understanding consciousness} _{News
March 14, 2020

8

Philosophy of Mind}

No good theories of consciousness match up with current science beliefs. The panpsychists, who ask us to consider that perhaps consciousness pervades the universe, force the issue, as put by Philip Goff: “If a general theory of reality has no place for consciousness, then that theory cannot be true.”