Mind Matters

Major General Bobby Hollingsworth had a distinguished 38-year career as a U.S. Marine fighter pilot and in leadership roles including commanding the Marine Corps Reserve Support Command and serving as vice commander of Marine forces in the Pacific. After retiring, he was appointed by President George W. Bush to lead the National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve.

In this full-length interview with host Robert J. Marks, Hollingsworth shares his life journey from dairy farm to fighter pilot, his perspective on the current state of U.S. military preparedness and leadership, and his insight into the evolution of military technology throughout his career.

Is it possible to personally alter the physical structure of your brain? On today's Mind Matters News, host Dr. Michael Egnor sits down with fellow neurosurgeon and author Dr. Lee Warren to discuss his book The Life-Changing Art of Self-Brain Surgery. Dr. Warren shares how his medical training and Christian faith collided after the tragic loss of his son. The experience helped him realize that the mind is more than just brain activity. Dr. Warren unpacks the main thrust of his book, describing self-brain surgery as the intentional practice of choosing different thoughts to physically change the brain’s structure and improve overall health. Dr. Warren has observed the effects of such self-driven change in real-time brain scans, which deliver positive results like reducing the body's stress response and promoting healing. Learn how you can alter your brain and bring about lasting positive change in your life.

On this bingecast episode of Mind Matters News, host Dr. Robert J. Marks welcomes to the podcast Dr. Mihretu Guta to discuss one of his chapters in the volume Minding the Brain titled “Mirror Neurons, Consciousness, and the Bearer Question.” Dr. Guta discusses the concept of “mirror neurons” – a type of brain cell that fires when a person observes an action being performed, as well as when the person performs the same action themselves. The properties of these neurons suggest they may play a role in empathy and understanding others’ actions. Dr. Guta explores the implications of mirror neurons to the mind-brain debate and how further study could illuminate these fascinating neural components.

On this episode of the Mind Matters News podcast, host and neurosurgeon Dr. Michael Egnor welcomes Michael Shermer, historian of science and founder of Skeptic magazine, to discuss Shermer’s new book Truth: What It Is, How to Find It, and Why It Still Matters. The conversation quickly evolves into a deep philosophical debate between Egnor and Shermer over whether truths about morality and the universe are created by humans or discovered as objective features of reality.

Is consciousness the exclusive domain of human beings? Proponents of a view known as integrative information theory argue that AI will eventually achieve that same level of consciousness as systems build up and integrate more knowledge in the future. On this archive episode of Mind Matters News, guest host Pat Flynn welcomes Dr. Selmer Bringsjord to discuss some of the flaws in this theory as well as a possible alternative.

On this episode of the Mind Matters News podcast, join host Robert J. Marks as he sits down with Dr. Giorgios Mappouras for a deep dive into the philosophical and technical boundaries that define the gap between human minds and silicon machines. The pair look at why the classic Turing Test is no longer a sufficient measure of machine intelligence in the age of large language models. They explore Giorgio's proposal for a more rigorous framework that can better evaluate AI's abilities.

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.

On this episode of Mind Matters News, host Robert J. Marks is joined by Bradley Norris as they welcome Hal Philipp, the man behind the modern touchscreen and a prolific inventor with an impressive 98 U.S. patents. Hal shares his story and some of the lessons he’s learned over a career in invention.

On this episode of Mind Matters News, we’re wrapping up our conversation with Dr. Donald Wunsch on his experiences with AI in his recent article in the IEEE Computational Intelligence Magazine about artificial general intelligence. This is the sixth part of our conversation with Dr. Wunsch. If you’ve not listened to the earlier portions, you can do so at the Read More ›

While the risk of AI becoming smarter than humans and taking over the world is often discussed, it can also distract us from a more pressing matter: the real-world, right-now risks of AI. On this episode of Mind Matters News, host Robert J. Marks continues his six-part conversation with Dr. Donald Wunsch about his expert insight into AI. In this Read More ›