Ep 145: Minds

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

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

Response to a question about my discussion with @drpeterboghossian here: https://youtu.be/72vhtT0pFmA?si=hAx1kPho4DkLkBFN This is yet another way of coming at a critique around the concept of "belief" or those who profess to "believe" and so on using Deutsch's approach that knowl ... Show More

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

Are there really dozens of words for snow in northern cultures? What did the movie Arrival have to do with language and cognition? Why are Russians better than Americans at distinguishing certain shades of blue? And what does any of this have to do with space, time, gender, and h ... Show More

Bienvenue dans notre treizième shot de philo. En moins de 5 minutes, nous allons te donner les clés d'une notion centrale du programme : le langage. Peut-on penser sans langage ? L’expression des pensées est-elle l’unique but du langage ? → Si langage et pensée peuvent être disti ... Show More

Do you have trouble figuring out what you want? Whether it's a big decision or a small one, why do we feel so conflicted about what the right choice is? In this episode, we talk about the frustrating experience of not knowing what we want, feeling frozen in place, and how to tune ... Show More

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. 

Chantel Prat is a brain researcher, a professor at the University of Washington, and the author of The Neuroscience of You: How Every Brain is Different and How to Understand Yours. She joins Erica Chidi to talk about how to better understand our individual brain strengths and wh ... Show More

How and why do we make assumptions based on the way people speak? What is considered “proper,” or “correct” language – and who decides that, anyway? 

What does consciousness mean? How artists, writers and scientists understood consciousness in the 19th and 20th centuries.