Here is the follow up to an earlier post on The Royal Institution event: presentations discussion BrainChris FrithCognitionCognitive neuroscienceCognitive sciencecomplexityconsciousnessEmbodied cognitionHard problem of consciousnessPhilosophy of mindPsychologyqualiaRoyal Institution
Neuron is offering free access to this issue until Oct 8.
Here’s an article from the New York Times The brain, as it traverses middle age, gets better at recognizing the central idea, the big picture. If kept in good shape, the brain can continue to build pathways that help its owner recognize patterns and, as a consequence, see significance and even solutions much faster than…
Here’s a rare treat to hear David Chalmers on the extended mind – typically, it’s been his co-author Andy Clark who has been exploring this idea in great detail. Here is their original paper; stay tuned for Rob Rupert’s review of Andy’s Supersizing the Mind to appear in the Journal of Mind and Behavior (as Chalmers…
Meet Paro. He’s a robotic seal developed by Japanese researchers to help dementia patients feel that they have companionship and a feeling of security, without the responsibilities of a living pet. (Thanks to Suzie Katz for alerting me to this story). Made to emulate a live pet as much as possible, he can cuddle, nod and…
V.S. is always good value for money – his enthusiasm is palpable. Click photo to view video.
Speaking of homuncularity there is a nice profile of V. S. Ramachandran in the latest issue of The New Yorker (sorry it’s by subscription only). It’s a far superior piece than the one done on the Churchlands a while back. Beyond the areas that have made V.S. so well-known (synesthesia, phantom limb syndrome), several interesting…
Ray Kurzweil’s article from last year’s Scientific American special on robotics is reprinted again here.
If you’ve ever heard the term “extended mind” and thought it denoted some sort of hocus pocus, then this recording will set you straight. Zoe Drayson of Bristol University has recorded a superb overview of the notion and the ethical implications arising from it. Zoe’s motivation for coming to this multidisciplinary literature had resonance for…
Here’s a restrained and sensitive article from the Scotsman on Claude Wischik‘s work on Alzheimer’s disease. The tone of the article matches the low-key disposition and existential focus of Wischik. Speaking to an Alzheimic patient on a regular basis, I have often used synonyms for the metaphor of “tangles”: Wischik has spent 24 years studying the neurofibrillary ‘tangles’ that…
manwithoutqualities 