When Life Gives You a Brain

Information is one of those words we feel we understand, but when we stop to ponder its meaning, it turns out to be a tricky concept to pin down. We say we are surrounded by it, inundated with it, and desperately seeking more of it. But what is information, really?

Five Controversial Ideas in Consciousness [Part 5]. This week, we continue our series on The Five Most Controversial Ideas in the Study of Consciousness with Panpsychism. Panpsychism has gained some popularity recently, but it remains one of the more provocative concepts in the philosophy of mind. Panpsychism: the idea that consciousness is a fundamental property of reality.

Do you think your dog is self-aware? Surprising research shows some fish species recognise themselves in a mirror, but dogs don’t. What does this tell us about what it means to be conscious?

Are we headed for “a phase of scientific enquiry in which we produce more but understand less”? Concerns about AI’s effect on culture seem to be increasing. In this article, I explore how AI is being used in science and why AI will not kill science.

Five Controversial Ideas in Consciousness [Part 4]. This week, we continue our series on The Five Most Controversial Ideas in the Study of Consciousness with Epiphenomenalism. Epiphenomenalism is not just a cool word to say; it’s also one of the most counterintuitive and provocative concepts in the philosophy of mind.

This week, I’ve been thinking about new ideas. Are novel ideas achievable? or are new ideas simply clever remixes of existing ideas? And can AI generate new ideas?

Elon Musk says Neuralink will merge human brains with artificial intelligence. How realistic are these ideas? Is this our future, or are Musk’s ideas just fantastical sci-fi imaginations?

Five Controversial Ideas in Consciousness [Part 3]. This week, we continue our series on the five most controversial ideas in the study of consciousness with solipsism. Solipsism comes in different flavours — in this article, I’ll focus on the most extreme version — metaphysical solipsism. This philosophical view is a radical one. It’s a belief that the only thing that exists is you. It’s just you. Everything else, from the physical world to other minds, does not exist.

Asking whether artificial neural networks are like brains is an interesting question, but, to me, the more interesting question is whether the differences between brains and artificial neural nets are the type of differences we should care about — are the differences the type of differences that make a difference?

Five Controversial Ideas in Consciousness [Part 2]. This week in When Life Gives You a Brain, we’re continuing our series on The Five Most Controversial Ideas in the Study of Consciousness with Part 2: Substance Dualism and the Interaction Problem.