Tag: Brain

Is consciousness in control? Does it matter?

A new scientific paper claims to describe an experiment that shows that consciousness controls our actions.  From the paper: These results indicate that conscious intentions govern motor function… until today, it was unclear whether conscious motor intention exists prior to movement, or whether the brain constructs such an intention after movement initiation. The Neuroskeptic takes … Continue reading Is consciousness in control? Does it matter? →

Forgetting is important

I've noted before that our memories corrupt over time, and that we're constantly forgetting things.  All things we should try to...remember when recalling events or evaluating eyewitness testimony. Anyway, it turns out that if something goes wrong with our forgetting mechanism, it has serious consequences. In order to function properly, the human brain requires the … Continue reading Forgetting is important →

What’s the largest number we can really comprehend? It’s smaller than you think

This guy is awesome! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOsXjYKvCZ8 I think I've mentioned before that we don't really understand the very large and very small, we just equate it with metaphors of our "normal" scale existence.  Nick Lucid gives one of the reasons why.  Without abstract frameworks, we can't really do numbers. BTW, he has a Tumblr site.

Is the United States conscious?

I saw this interesting post by Eric Schwitzgebel on whether or not regarding the US as a conscious entity is compatible with materialism.  In the post, he examines an objection by David Chalmers, which is interesting, but not something that particularly resonates with me, seeming like a just so rational to a pre-intuited conclusion.  Eric also … Continue reading Is the United States conscious? →

Why You Should Upload Yourself to a Supercomputer

We're still decades — if not centuries — away from being able to transfer a mind to a supercomputer. It's a fantastic future prospect that makes some people incredibly squeamish. But there are considerable benefits to living a digital life. Here's why you should seriously consider uploading. via Why You Should Upload Yourself to a … Continue reading Why You Should Upload Yourself to a Supercomputer →

Is Consciousness Universal?: Scientific American

These century-old arguments bring me to the conceptual framework of the integrated information theory (IIT) of psychiatrist and neuroscientist Giulio Tononi of the University of Wisconsin–Madison. It postulates that conscious experience is a fundamental aspect of reality and is identical to a particular type of information—integrated information. Consciousness depends on a physical substrate but is … Continue reading Is Consciousness Universal?: Scientific American →

Consciousness and the Social Brain: A review

What is consciousness?  What is the inner experience that we all feel we have?  Is it an illusion or an ontological reality? Michael Graziano thinks it is a reality, and he thinks he has found a scientific theory for it, which he describes in his book: 'Consciousness and the Social Brain'. The quest for a … Continue reading Consciousness and the Social Brain: A review →

Brainlike computers, learning from experience | NDTV.com

Computers have entered the age when they are able to learn from their own mistakes, a development that is about to turn the digital world on its head. The first commercial version of the new kind of computer chip is scheduled to be released in 2014. Not only can it automate tasks that now require … Continue reading Brainlike computers, learning from experience | NDTV.com →

Singularity assumptions that should be questioned

The upcoming movie, Transcendence, looks like it will be interesting, but the trailer includes common assumptions about the singularity that I'm not sure are justified. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jY-cc1MLAI4 To be sure, the assumptions are held by a lot of singularity believers.  Below I offer some reasons why these assumptions shouldn't be taken as self evident. Assumption 1: … Continue reading Singularity assumptions that should be questioned →