August 13, 2010
I recently had the honor and good fortune to be on the same panel as neuroscientist Joaquin Fuster. We had been in correspondence over the years: the intellectual generosity of this man, one of the giants in the field, knows no bounds. I was thrilled to finally meet him in person. Below are some shots of him in full flight – his talk was entitled “Frederick Hayek’s Theory of Mind and Human Cognition.” (As co-panelist I was pitching Hayek as an extended mind theorist of sorts). Here is a lecture of Joaquin’s entitled “Distributed Memory and the Perception-Action Cycle” that is not far removed from his talk in San Diego. Here are some highlights from a recent lecture entitled “The brain is a search engine.”
In conversation with Roland Zahn, another fascinating mind.
Dinner with yours truly.
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cognitive science, connectionism, consciousness, cybernetics, hayek, joaquin fuster, memory, networks, neurobiology, neuron, neurophilosophy, neuroscience, philosophy of mind, the sensory order | 
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Posted by manwithoutqualities
May 7, 2010
Here is a chapter from a book by Michael Dawson, Brian Dupuis, and Michael Wilson (all of the Biological Computation Project, University of Alberta) that has just come my way and is entitled From Bricks to Brains: The Embodied Cognitive Science of LEGO Robots. In fact, all the chapters in draft are freely available to be downloaded from the book’s dedicated webpage. This offer will cease on publication of the book – which will be VERY soon. There is also a nicely produced 15 minute mini-documentary on the publisher’s site featuring Dawson and Depuis (click the video tab).
Comments Off | Brian Dupuis, Embedded, Michael Dawson, Michael Wilson, active externalism, active perception, anti-representationalist, artificial intelligence, bricks to brains, cognitive modeling, cognitive science, computational intelligence, computer simulations, concept of mind, connectionism, consciousness, cybernetics, distributed cognition, distributed knowledge, embodiment, emergence, extended mind, feedback, lego, neurophilosophy, neuroscience, philosophy of mind, psychology, robotics, robots, situated cognition, stigmergic, stigmergic cognition, stigmergy, swarm, swarm behavior, swarm intelligence | Permalink
Posted by manwithoutqualities
March 2, 2010
Comments Off | Economics, Edelman, Embedded, Enacted, Gilbert Ryle, Inevitability Thesis, Mass Collaboration, Road to Serfdom, The Road to Serfdom, artificial intelligence, austrian economics, behaviorism, brain science, cognition, cognitive closure, cognitive modeling, cognitive science, cognitive systems, collective intentionality, complexity, computational intelligence, concept of mind, connectionism, consciousness, constructivism, cybernetics, david chalmers, distributed cognition, distributed knowledge, embodiment, emergence, enactivism, epistemology, evolutionary psychology, extended cognitive systems, extended mind, externalism, frame problem, frank rosenblatt, functionalism, gerald edelman, hayek, hayek machine, hermeneutics, intentionality, knowing how knowing that, leslie marsh, metaphysics, mind body, networks, neurobiology, neuroeconomics, neurophilosophy, neuroscience, particle swarm optimization, philosophy of economics, philosophy of mind, philosophy of social science, psychology, qualia, rationality, representationalism, self-referentiality, situated cognition, social cognition, social connectionism, social constructivism, social epistemology, sociology, spontaneous order, stigmergy, swarm, swarm behavior, swarm intelligence, the "hard" problem, the sensory order | Permalink
Posted by manwithoutqualities
February 12, 2010
Check out the terrific work of artist Susan Aldworth. Her artistry emerges from both a philosophical and an empirical sensibility. See here for a brief profile and artist’s statement.
Comments Off | Descartes, Neurophysics, Susan Aldworth, aesthetics, brain, brain scans, brain science, category error, cognition, cognitive science, connectionism, consciousness, fMRI, ghost in the machine, homunculus, mind body, neurobiology, neuron, neurophilosophy, neuroscience, philosophy of mind, psychology, qualia | Permalink
Posted by manwithoutqualities
February 8, 2010
Comments Off | Bill Butos, Colin McGinn, Economics, Edelman, Embedded, Fuster, Gilbert Ryle, Inevitability Thesis, The Road to Serfdom, advances in austrian econmics, austrian economics, brain science, bruce caldwell, cognition, cognitive closure, cognitive ecology, cognitive science, cognitive systems, collective intentionality, complexity, computational intelligence, connectionism, consciousness, distributed cognition, distributed knowledge, embodiment, enactivism, evolutionary psychology, extended cognitive systems, extended mind, externalism, gerald edelman, hayek, knowing how knowing that, leslie marsh, liberalism, mind body, neurobiology, neuroeconomics, neurophilosophy, neuroscience, phenomenology, philosophy of economics, philosophy of mind, philosophy of social science, psychology, qualia, rationality, reason, situated cognition, social cognition, social connectionism, social constructivism, social epistemology, socialism, sociology, spontaneous order, stigmergy, the "hard" problem, the sensory order | Permalink
Posted by manwithoutqualities
January 22, 2010
Comments Off | Andy Clark, Descartes, Economics, Edelman, Embedded, Evan Thompson, austrian economics, brain science, cognition, cognitive closure, cognitive ecology, cognitive science, complexity, computational intelligence, connectionism, distributed cognition, distributed knowledge, embodiment, emergence, enactivism, evolutionary psychology, extended mind, externalism, hayek, mind body, neurobiology, neuroeconomics, neurophilosophy, neuroscience, philosophy of economics, philosophy of mind, philosophy of social science, psychology, qualia, representationalism, situated cognition, social cognition, social connectionism, spontaneous order, the "hard" problem, the sensory order, varela | Permalink
Posted by manwithoutqualities
December 10, 2009
Comments Off | John Searle, advances in austrian econmics, behaviorism, brain, brain science, cognitive closure, cognitive modeling, cognitive science, complexity, computational intelligence, concept of mind, connectionism, consciousness, distributed cognition, distributed knowledge, dualism, enactivism, evolutionary psychology, extended cognitive systems, extended mind, frame problem, frank rosenblatt, gerald edelman, hayek, joaquin fuster, knowing how knowing that, psychology, qualia, roger penrose, steve horwitz, stigmergic, stigmergy, the "hard" problem, the sensory order | Permalink
Posted by manwithoutqualities
December 10, 2009
I’m pleased to have discovered a superb website that accompanies the PBS series Closer to Truth.
The definitive series on the latest advances in brain, mind, free will, personal identity, alien intelligence, parapsychology, afterlife, and brain-mind critical thinking.
Interviewer Robert Lawrence Kuhn does a super job of guiding the discussion for a lay audience and pretty much picks up where Brian Magee left off some 20 years ago in a series of programes for the BBC (and, I think, Channel 4). The interest here is on the selection of programs devoted to consciousness:
Why is Consciousness so Mysterious?
Why is Consciousness Baffling?
Is Consciousness an Illusion?
What’s the Essence of Consciousness?
What’s the Meaning of Consciousness?
Is Consciousness Fundamental?
Is Consciousness Irreducible?
Is Consciousness an Ultimate Fact?
What is the Mind-Body Problem?
Why a Mind-Body Problem?
Solutions to the Mind-Body Problem?
What are Brains?
How are Brains Structured?
What do Brains Do?
How do Brains Function?
How do Human Brains Work?
How Do Human Brains Think and Feel?
Can Brain Explain Mind?
How are Brains Conscious?
What Makes Brains Conscious?
How Brain Scientists Think about Consciousness
Among the luminaries interviewed include David Chalmers, Daniel Dennett, Hubert Dreyfus, Kristof Koch, Colin McGinn, Alva Noë, Roger Penrose, and John Searle and others besides. Here is the link to the video archive.
Comments Off | Alva Noë, Chalmers, Colin McGinn, Daniel Dennett, Dennett, Descartes, Embedded, John Searle, Kristof Koch, Neurophysics, Robert Lawrence Kuh, artificial intelligence, brain, brain science, brian magee, cognition, cognitive closure, cognitive science, cognitive systems, complexity, computational intelligence, concept of mind, connectionism, consciousness, david chalmers, distributed cognition, embodiment, enactivism, evolutionary psychology, extended cognitive systems, extended mind, externalism, hubert dreyfus, intentionality, mirror neurons, neurobiology, neuron, neurophilosophy, neuroscience, phenomenology, philosophy of mind, psychology, qualia, roger penrose, the "hard" problem | Permalink
Posted by manwithoutqualities
November 28, 2009
V.S. is always good value for money – his enthusiasm is palpable. Click photo to view video.
Comments Off | Neurophysics, V.S. Ramachandran, brain damage, brain science, cognition, cognitive science, connectionism, consciousness, evolutionary biology, mirror neurons, neurobiology, neuron, neurophilosophy, neuroscience, phantom limbs, philosophy of mind, plasticity, psychology, qualia, science, synesthesia | Permalink
Posted by manwithoutqualities
November 19, 2009
I want to give a plug to the excellent resource that is the Brain Science Podcast website so passionately managed by Ginger Campbell. There is even an iPhone app now available though I haven’t used it yet.
Comments Off | Neurophysics, brain science, cognition, cognitive modeling, cognitive science, cognitive systems, computational intelligence, connectionism, consciousness, evolutionary psychology, ginger campbell, mirror neurons, neurobiology, neuron, neurophilosophy, neuroscience, philosophy of mind, psychology, science | Permalink
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