What, Why & How do we Know ?
Susan Blackmore Link(s) – Went back to look at Susan Blackmore’s provocative contribution to the QuestionCentre2003, blogged a couple of days ago. All I knew about Dr Blackmore previously was her Meme Machine fame – but not yet read it (who’s off to Borders tonight then ?!). I hadn’t spotted that Adam Hart-Davis was her … Continue reading “Susan Blackmore Link(s)”
Quantum Mind 2003 – Centre for Consciousness Studies at Uni of Arizona [via Danny] [via Don Mitchell] is hosting this interesting conference in March. Also has a huge resource of on-line papers collected by David Chalmers, including Searle, Dennett, Millikan, Fodor, Block, Hilbert, Carnap, Putnam and many more. (Currently reading Jerry Fodor’s “Psychosemantics”, prompted by … Continue reading “Quantum Mind 2003”
Repurposing ? From Sean B Palmer [miscoranda], a quote from Tim BL under his “Aphorisms” list.[Quote] If you say what you mean rather than what you want done with it, you can repurpose it so much better. [Unquote]Not sure I agree with this one as stated, but there is something in the spirit. Dennett’s Intentional … Continue reading “Repurposing ?”
Been reading Pinker, Dennett, Rousseau and Rawls in the break. Forming a view of rationalisation as compression (after simple equals powerful idea). Pinker refers to the entire left side (?) of the brain as the “baloney generator” designed to produce convincing sounding “arguments” in difficult situations. Humans have an innate comfort with the “rational” and … Continue reading “Rationalisation as Compression”
Ray Kurzweil (AI) Accelerating IntelligenceOverhyped AI site of “extraordinary”, “revolutionary”, “prophetic vision” (sic), but contributory big thinkers include the likes of Richard Dawkins, Arthur C Clarke, Richard Feynman, Daniel Dennett, Steven Pinker, Marvin Minsky, Roger Schank (of Jorn infamy ?), Murray Gell-Mann, Martin Rees, Roger Penrose, Steve Jones, Paul Davies, Stephen Jay Gould and more. … Continue reading “Kurzweil – Accelerating Intelligence”