Jul 4

Ep 263: David Deutsch's "The Fabric of Reality" Chapter 13 "The Four Strands" Part 4 - and final.

How do the Four Strands of the Fabric of Reality - Quantum Physics, Computation, Epistemology and Evolution by Natural Selection hold together? What does taking them each seriously and all of them together seriously? Is it possible to construct a worldview without one of them or ... Show More

1h 30m

May 4

Ep 262: David Deutsch's "The Fabric of Reality" Chapter 13 "The Four Strands" Part 3

This episode is heavily focussed on Dawkin's "Selfish Gene" explanation of Darwin's evolution by natural selection. Obviously there are readings from the relevant part of this chapter from The Fabric of Reality but I augment that with sections from "The Selfish Gene" itself as we ... Show More

1h 3m

Apr 23

Ep 261: Objective Morality II

Do not destroy the means of error correction. A deep unification of knowledge akin to unifying quantum theory with computation to create the theory of quantum computation. David Deutsch will be known for not merely forging the basis of quantum computing but also a new basis for m ... Show More

38m 58s

Jan 2009

Philosophy of language and mind

Language and Mind: What is rationality? What is consciousness? How do we manage to express our thoughts and experiences in language?

1h 27m

Oct 2023

Mental gymnastics

How do we talk about complicated tasks done by your brain?

2m 30s

Jul 2023

Sources of thinking

Where does our thinking come from? And what are the generators of our thoughts? An episode that will bring enlightenment to the table and leave you with a greater knowledge of your brain.

3m 52s

Dec 2024

Ep85 "What is a Thought?"

Brains bear thoughts like a peach tree bears peaches. Even for meditators it's almost impossible to stop the firehose of words and images and ideas. But what in the world is a thought, physically? How can you hear a voice in your head when there's no one speaking in the outside w ... Show More

36m 48s

Jan 2025

Ep88 "Might there exist very different kinds of minds?"

Why is it so difficult to define intelligence? What does this have to do with being a fish in water trying to describe water? Might we humans possess one kind of intelligence in a constellation of many other types? And what does this have to do with empathy, AI, and our search fo ... Show More

47m 17s

Apr 2024

Ep54 "Where do you end and others begin?"

From the brain’s point of view, what is the self? How do 30 trillion cells come to feel like a single entity? Does the "self" of a blind person include the tip of her walking stick? How flexible is our sense of self? And what does any of this have to do with psychedelics, trauma, ... Show More

37m 56s

Aug 2024

Ep72 "How do you put yourself in other people's shoes (and can AI do it)?"

You know that moment in the horror movie where the monster is coming closer, but the movie star doesn't see it? Why does that drive you crazy, and what does that teach us about brains? What is theory of mind, and why is it so important for everyone from poker players to conmen to ... Show More

42m 15s

Jan 2022

Mind Reading 2.0: Why did you do that?

<p>As we go through life, we’re constantly trying to figure out what other people are thinking and feeling. Psychologist <a href="https://www.bc.edu/bc-web/schools/mcas/departments/psychology/people/faculty-directory/liane-young.html">Liane Young</a> says this ability to assess o ... Show More

48m 50s

Jul 2025

Ep111 "Might we be surrounded with undetected minds?" (with Michael Levin)

What is intelligence? If we look hard, can we find it in unexpected places: not just in brains but in all kinds of structures? How should we recognize it? And what does any of this have to do with a bipedal dog born without front legs, or making small new organisms out of single ... Show More

51m 33s

Ep 145: Minds