philosophy Archives - Knowing Neurons

The Free Energy Principle: What might be the next biggest revolution in science

August 16, 2021October 23, 2021 Arielle Hogan Free Energy Principle, Machine Learning, philosophy

"Paraphrasing Einstein, everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler." Take everything you know, everything you believe, and everything about life and existence. What does it all… Read more

Brain Books

Book Review: Neuroscience Fiction

September 21, 2020October 31, 2020 Marco Travaglio Book Review, Brain Books, Brain-computer interface, Movies, Neuroscience, philosophy, Sci-fi, Science Fiction

Over 50 years ago, large masses of movie enthusiasts flocked to the premiere of a much awaited sci-fi masterpiece called ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’. The plot was rather simple. A… Read more

Big Ideas Culture Philosophy Sensation and Perception

Understanding Visual Illusions Can Make Us More Empathetic

April 8, 2020April 8, 2020 McKenna Becker Bias, Blind spot, Cognition, Empathy, Illusion, Neuroplasticity, Optic nerve, Perception, philosophy, Photoreceptor, Politics, R.L. Gregory, Reality, Retina, Stroop Test, Top-Down Processing, V.S. Ramachandran, Visual Illusions

Philosophers and neuroscientists agree that if there is an objective reality, human beings can’t perceive it: philosophers refer to objective reality as a perception independent of any conscious awareness. Neuroscientists… Read more

Big Ideas Consciousness Philosophy

Measuring Consciousness in Bits

August 1, 2018August 1, 2018 DanielToker Brain, Claude Shannon, Communication, Consciousness, David Chalmers, Entropy, Giulio Tononi, Information, Information theory, Integrated Information Theory, Neuroscience, philosophy, Psychology, Research, Science, Sensory experience

Consciousness is an ambiguous concept. It can mean a lot of different things, depending on the context. For example, I can say that I am conscious of something, as in,… Read more

Big Ideas Consciousness Philosophy

Our Illusory Sense of Agency Has a Deeply Important Social Purpose

September 29, 2017October 6, 2017 Chris Frith agency, choice, Consciousness, Epicurus, Free Will, Illusion, Mopan Maya, morality, Perception, philosophy, stoic

’m trying to concentrate on writing this piece, but my two grandchildren in the room next door have stopped making paper aeroplanes and started arguing. ‘You kicked me,’ yells Freya.… Read more

Big Ideas Consciousness Philosophy

Why panpsychism fails to solve the mystery of consciousness

June 14, 2017June 30, 2017 Keith Frankish Consciousness, David Chalmers, hard problem of consciousness, panpsychism, philosophy, philosophy of mind

Is consciousness everywhere? Is it a basic feature of the Universe, at the very heart of the tiniest subatomic particles? Such an idea – panpsychism as it is known –… Read more

Big Ideas Consciousness Philosophy

Is there Consciousness in Everything?

June 7, 2017June 30, 2017 Philip Geoff Aeon, Consciousness, Intrinsic, Nature, panpsychism, philosophy

Common sense tells us that only living things have an inner life. Rabbits and tigers and mice have feelings, sensations and experiences; tables and rocks and molecules do not. Panpsychists… Read more