Author Archives: SelfAwarePatterns

Recommendation: Children of Time

Posted on June 17, 2018

The Fermi Paradox is the observation that if intelligent life is pervasive in the universe, it should have arrived on Earth ages ago, but there is no evidence it ever did.  The solutions to the paradox include the possibilities that … Continue reading →

Posted in Science Fiction | Tagged , , , | 11 Comments

The soul of the Roman Empire

Posted on April 25, 2018

According to tradition, in the early days of ancient Rome, King Numa Pompilius established a religious institution: the Vestal Virgins.  The Vestal Virgins were chaste priestesses of Vesta, the goddess of home and hearth.  Their duty was to maintain the … Continue reading →

Posted in History | Tagged , , , , , | 37 Comments

Altered Carbon

Posted on February 5, 2018

Several years ago, I read Richard K. Morgan’s Takeshi Kovacs novels about a future where people’s minds are recorded in a device (called a “stack”) implanted just below the brain stem, essentially providing a form of mind uploading, and allowing people … Continue reading →

Posted in Science Fiction | Tagged , , , | 42 Comments

What is knowledge?

Posted on January 15, 2018

In the discussion on the last post on measurement, the definition of knowledge came up a few times.  That’s dredged up long standing thoughts I have about knowledge, which I’ve discussed with some of you before, but that I don’t … Continue reading →

Posted in Philosophy | Tagged , , , | 67 Comments

Are there things that are knowable but not measurable?

Posted on January 3, 2018

It’s a mantra for many scientists, not to mention many business managers, that if you can’t measure it, it’s not real.  On the other hand, I’ve been told by a lot of people, mostly non-scientists, and occasionally humanistic scholars including philosophers, … Continue reading →

Posted in Philosophy | Tagged , , , | 93 Comments

Could a neuroscientist understand a microprocessor? Is that a relevant question?

Posted on December 27, 2017

A while back, Julia Galef on Rationally Speaking interviewed Eric Jonas, one of the authors of a study that attempted to use neuroscience techniques on a simple computer processor. The field of neuroscience has been collecting more and more data, … Continue reading →

Posted in Mind and AI | Tagged , , , , | 38 Comments

Merry Christmas

Posted on December 24, 2017

Still alive.  As I mentioned in the previous post back in October, the new job and family issues have been keeping me busy.  Hopefully I’ll get more time in the new year for blogging.  A couple of people have suggested … Continue reading →

Posted in Zeitgeist | 13 Comments