Tag: Brain

Virtual afterlives will transform humanity – Michael Graziano – Aeon

Imagine a future in which your mind never dies. When your body begins to fail, a machine scans your brain in enough detail to capture its unique wiring. A computer system uses that data to simulate your brain. It won’t need to replicate every last detail. Like the phonograph, it will strip away the irrelevant … Continue reading Virtual afterlives will transform humanity – Michael Graziano – Aeon →

The mind is the brain, and why that’s good

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 →

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will be strengthened and which ones will be \"pruned\" - active connections will remain whereas those which are no longer active or … Continue reading Is There a Limit to One’s Learning Capacity?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 →

The self as brain: Disturbing implications of neuroexistentialism.

Patricia Churchland, a neurophilosopher at the University of California at San Diego, says our hopes, loves and very existence are just elaborate functions of a complicated mass of grey tissue. Accepting that can be hard, but what we know should inspire us, not scare us. Her most recent book is Touching a Nerve: The Self … Continue reading The self as brain: Disturbing implications of neuroexistentialism. →

8 Surprising Ways Music Affects and Benefits our Brains | Belle Beth Cooper

8 Surprising Ways Music Affects and Benefits our Brains | Belle Beth Cooper. An interesting post at HuffPost on the effects of music on our brain's processing.  In a perhaps not entirely rigorous manner, a chart linking different personality types is presented.  I wonder what my habit of listening to podcasts on my daily walks … Continue reading 8 Surprising Ways Music Affects and Benefits our Brains | Belle Beth Cooper →

Eat crow if you think I’m a bird-brain

From Science Daily: Scientists have long suspected that corvids -- the family of birds including ravens, crows and magpies -- are highly intelligent. Now, Tübingen neurobiologists Lena Veit und Professor Andreas Nieder have demonstrated how the brains of crows produce intelligent behavior when the birds have to make strategic decisions. Their results are published in … Continue reading Eat crow if you think I’m a bird-brain →

More on computer consciousness

After discussion on my post the other day on consciousness being in the eye beholder, I realized that I probably should expand a bit on my hypothesis about what we would intuitively consider to be a conscious being. We, as minds, are aware.  We have awareness from our senses: sight, hearing, smell, touch, and taste.  From the … Continue reading More on computer consciousness →

Random Brain Waves Save Free Will? – Neuroskeptic | DiscoverMagazine.com

The Neuroskeptic has a post up about an experiment which seems to contradict the famous Libet experiment: Random Brain Waves Save Free Will? - Neuroskeptic | DiscoverMagazine.com. I've personally never found the Libet experiment particularly compelling when it comes to free will arguments, but many do. Related articles The Hand-Waver's Guide to The Brain (jfnet.wordpress.com) The … Continue reading Random Brain Waves Save Free Will? – Neuroskeptic | DiscoverMagazine.com →