Mind body dualism is the theory that mind and matter are separate substances. It's an ancient theory discussed in various forms by philosophers such as Plato and Aristotle, and theologians such as Thomas Aquinas. In 1641, Rene Descartes put forth his views, usually referred to as Cartesian dualism which laid important foundations for modern philosophy in … Continue reading The mind is the brain, and why that’s good
Michael Graziano: The Spirit Constructed in the Brain
I perceive consciousness in myself. My brain constructs a perceptual model of a mind that thinks this and that, feels this and that and is aware of this and that; the mind is attributed to my own location. That model provides an organized, coherent way for me to understand myself -- to predict and help … Continue reading Michael Graziano: The Spirit Constructed in the Brain
Awe Increases Religious Belief | Matthew Hutson
In February 1971, Lunar Module pilot Edgar Mitchell was on his way back from the Moon when he had an epiphany. Staring out the window at the stars, he realized that everything is connected. The experience was so \"puzzling and powerful,\" he told me, that upon touchdown he launched a quest into what it was … Continue reading Awe Increases Religious Belief | Matthew Hutson
Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal: The Adventures Of Philosophically Inclined Mailman
I know I already plugged SMBC this week, but today's post is kind of cool in a meta sort of way. (Click through to read the whole thing; WARNING: the punchline could be considered obscene.) Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal.
Stephen Cave: The 4 stories we tell ourselves about death
The other day I did a post about soothing the fear of death. Stephen Cave in this TED talk, after discussing the age old stories we've traditionally used to sooth that fear, covers much the same ground that I did on the Epicurean insight into this fear. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PB7xs7UpIfY Related articles TED: Stephen Cave: The 4 … Continue reading Stephen Cave: The 4 stories we tell ourselves about death
Do mathematics model real world patterns?
I've recently seen a couple of interesting posts pondering to what degree mathematics models actual real world objects. For an upcoming episode of the Rationally Speaking podcast, Massimo Pigliucci and Julia Galef interviewed Max Tegmark, who seems to believe that all of reality is ultimately mathematical. Note that Tegmark doesn't mean that it is precisely described … Continue reading Do mathematics model real world patterns?
Valkyrie: NASA’s Superhero Robot
Is it just me, or does this thing look like either a Star Wars stormtrooper or a Battlestar Galactica Cylon? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IE-YBaYjbqY
Is There a Limit to One’s Learning Capacity? | Quora
When parts of the connection process become weak, a process known as synaptic pruning takes place to remove the old connections and strengthen the rest. Experience is the determining factor of which connections will be strengthened and which ones will be \"pruned\" - active connections will remain whereas those which are no longer active or … Continue reading Is There a Limit to One’s Learning Capacity? | Quora
Perspectives on deep time
The universe is roughly 13.8 billions years old. The universe was 66% of its current age by the time the Sun and Earth formed. Life appears to have begun on Earth when it was around 10% of its current age of around 4.5 billion years. The Earth was 85% of its current age before the … Continue reading Perspectives on deep time
Pope Francis
Pope Francis named Time Person of the Year 2013 - CNN.com. By now, I think everyone has heard about Pope Francis being Time's Person of the Year. I was raised Catholic and I have to say I like this pope. He seems to embody many of the qualities I was taught in my catechism classes … Continue reading Pope Francis
