Synthetic Genome

artificial intelligence, biology, biotechnology, consciousness, craig venter, DNA, GENOMICS, science, Synthetic Genome

Here is the Science announcement that is causing quite a stir.

This is “a defining moment in the history of biology and biotechnology,” says Mark Bedau, a philosopher at Reed College in Portland, Oregon, and editor of the scientific journal Artificial Life. “It represents an important technical milestone in the new field of synthetic genomics,” says yeast biologist Jef Boeke of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland.

Here is the article’s abstract.

Here is the mp3 of the announcement as published by The Guardian.

Here is The Guardian‘s take (the “playing god” loony tunes have already begun to respond).

The cover of the relevant issue has nothing to do with the Venter et al article.

The New Science of the Mind

brain, cognition, cognitive science, consciousness, distributed cognition, Embedded, embodiment, extended mind, externalism, Heidegger, mark rowlands, Merleau-Ponty, michael madary, neurophilosophy, phenomenology, philosophy of mind, sartre

Here’s a soon to be released book written by Mark Rowlands one of the major extended mind/situated cognition players. Let’s hope the proofing is significantly better than what has been coming out of MIT Press of late. This book will be reviewed by Michael Madary in The Journal of Mind and Behavior.

Notes and Neurons

Bobby McFerrin, cognitive science, Daniel Levitin, Jamshed Barucha, John Schaefer, Lawrence Parsons, mri and music, music, neuron, neurophilosophy, neuroscience, philosophy of mind, world science festival

World Science Festival featuring Bobby McFerrin, best known as the writer and performer of one of my favourite songs Don’t worry be happy.

Is our response to music hard-wired or culturally determined? Is the reaction to rhythm and melody universal or influenced by environment? Join host John Schaefer, Jamshed Barucha, scientist Daniel Levitin, Professor Lawrence Parsons and musical artist Bobby McFerrin for live performances and cross cultural demonstrations to illustrate music’s note-worthy interaction with the brain and our emotions.

Chalmers’ Locke Lectures

a priori, carnap, constructing the world, david chalmers, epistemology, locke lectures, logic, metaphysics, philosophy of language, philosophy of mind, philosophy of science, Scrutability, semantics, truth

Lecture 1: A Scrutable World

Handout

Slides

Draft MS of Constructing the World

Lecture 2 (12th May): The Cosmoscope Argument

Lecture 3 (19th May): The Case for A Priori Scrutability

Lecture 4 (26th May): Revisability and Conceptual Change: Carnap vs. Quine

Lecture 5 (2nd June): Hard Cases: Mathematics, Normativity, Ontology, Intentionality

Lecture 6 (9th June): Whither the Aufbau?

Exhausted Noam Chomsky

anarchism, chomsky, cognitive science, humor, libertarian socialist, linguistics, philosophers, philosophy, philosophy of language, philosophy of mind, satire, the onion, universal grammar

Once again, this bit of Onion satire was brought to my attention by my chum David Livingtone Smith.

Jesse Norman, MP

conservatism, jesse norman, oakeshott, pierce, Sabre Foundation

Jesse Norman, a very able philosopher and man of practice, has been elected as the new MP to represent the Hereford and South Herefordshire constituency. Philosophically speaking, Jesse has several strings to his bow. I first came to know him as an Oakeshottian – he edited The Achievement of Michael Oakeshott (Duckworth – unfortunately, no longer in print) – and he provided valuable assistance and good counsel to me in my setting up the Oakeshott Association. Jesse is a bona fide Oakeshottian – unlike others running for public office who have sought to shallowly appropriate the name. I also know Jesse through a shared interest in the Sabre Foundation (donate some $$ now!). Here are Jesse’s academic interests which include his technical work on Pierce. Jesse will bring a touch of class to that most vulgar of all pursuits, politics. I hope that this is the beginning of a distinguished career, that great things lie ahead for him and that his keen intellect and subtlety isn’t corroded or dumbed down. I wish him well.