Author Archives: SelfAwarePatterns

Michael Graziano on mind uploading

Posted on October 20, 2019

Michael Graziano has an article at The Guardian, which feels like an excerpt from his new book, exploring what might happen if we can upload minds: Imagine that a person’s brain could be scanned in great detail and recreated in … Continue reading →

Posted in Zeitgeist | Tagged , , , | 50 Comments

A competition between integration and workspace

Posted on October 17, 2019

Back in March, I did a post on a proposed Templeton Foundation project to test major scientific theories of consciousness.  The idea was to start with a head to head competition between the integration information theory (IIT) and global workspace … Continue reading →

Posted in Zeitgeist | Tagged , , , | 30 Comments

The problems with post-empirical science

Posted on October 9, 2019

Jim Baggott has a pretty good piece at Aeon on the problems with post-empirical science.  I’ve highlighted Baggott’s views before.  Along with others like Sabine Hossenfelder and Peter Woit, he calls attention to a serious issue in physics, the rising … Continue reading →

Posted in Zeitgeist | Tagged , , , , | 67 Comments

Recommendation: Memory

Posted on October 2, 2019

I’ve noted before that I think science fiction author Linda Nagata is an underrated talent.  She crafts mind bendingly imaginative tales.  I’ve recommend several of her books, all in The Nanotech Succession series, which she has recently started adding to … Continue reading →

Posted in Science Fiction | Tagged , , | 14 Comments

A standard model of consciousness?

Posted on September 29, 2019

I’ve often noted that I find more consilience than disagreement between the empirically grounded theories of consciousness.  They seem to be looking at the problem at differing levels of organization, and together they may present a growing scientific consensus about … Continue reading →

Posted in Mind and AI | Tagged , , , , | 129 Comments

Keith Frankish on the consciousness illusion

Posted on September 26, 2019

Along the lines of last night’s post, Keith Frankish has an article at Aeon describing and defending the illusionist viewpoint, that phenomenal consciousness is an illusion.  It’s an excellent introduction for anyone who isn’t familiar with the basic argument. As … Continue reading →

Posted in Zeitgeist | Tagged , , , | 188 Comments

Is consciousness really a problem?

Posted on September 25, 2019

The Journal of Consciousness Studies has an issue out on the meta-problem of consciousness.  (Unfortunately, it’s paywalled, so you’ll need a subscription, or access to a school network that has one.) As a reminder, there’s the hard problem of consciousness, … Continue reading →

Posted in Zeitgeist | Tagged , , , , | 51 Comments

Don’t teach Congress about science and technology; teach the voters

Posted on September 23, 2019

M. Anthony Mills has a short piece at Politico advocating the return of the OTA (Office of Technology Assessment), which was defunded in the 1990s as a budget cutting measure.  The argument is that congress needs to know more about … Continue reading →

Posted in Society | Tagged , , | 23 Comments

Sean Carroll’s Something Deeply Hidden

Posted on September 21, 2019

I’m just about finished reading Sean Carroll’s Something Deeply Hidden.  I was going to wait to post this until I’d completely finished, but all I’ve got left is the appendix, I perceive that I’ve gotten through the main points, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Science | Tagged , , , , , | 157 Comments

Why you can’t use quantum entanglement for faster than light communication

Posted on September 17, 2019

Albert Einstein, with his theory of special relativity, established that the speed of light is the absolute speed limit of the universe.  A rocket ship attempting to accelerate to the speed of light encounters some well known effects: time dilation, … Continue reading →

Posted in Science | Tagged , , , , , , | 82 Comments