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eSkeptic for June 18, 2018
Dr. Kenneth R. Miller — The Human Instinct: How We Evolved to Have Reason, Consciousness, and Free Will
Dr. Miller presents a radical, optimistic exploration of how humans evolved to develop reason, consciousness, and free will, contra scientists such as Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris who tell us that our most intimate actions, thoughts, and values are mere byproducts of thousands of generations of mindless adaptation.
Dr. Gregory Berns — What It’s Like to Be a Dog … and Other Adventures in Animal Neuroscience
Shermer speaks with Dr. Gregory Berns, Distinguished Professor of Neuroeconomics and Director of the Center for Neuropolicy and Facility for Education and Research in Neuroscience. Berns is famous for his use of fMRI to study canine cognitive function in awake, unrestrained dogs with the goal to non-invasively map the perceptual and decision systems of the dog’s brain and to predict likelihood of success in service dogs.
Why We Should Be Concerned About Artificial Superintelligence
Matthew Graves warns that the same general problem-solving ability that makes artificial superintelligence a uniquely valuable ally may make it a uniquely risky adversary.
eSkeptic for October 11, 2017
In this week’s eSkeptic, Dr. David Speed examines why the definitional ambiguity of the word “spirituality” is problematic for researchers who seek to explore the relationship between it and other constructs.
I am Not Living in a Computer Simulation, and Neither Are You
Peter Kassan examines the idea that we are all just computer simulations living in a computer simulation.
eSkeptic for July 5, 2017
In this week’s eSkeptic, Peter Kassan examines the idea that we are all just computer simulations living in a computer simulation.
eskeptic for February 8, 2017
In this week’s eSkeptic, Leonard Mlodinow and Michael Shermer review You Are the Universe: Discovering Your Cosmic Self and Why it Matters, by Deepak Chopra and Menas Kafatos, 2017. (New York: Harmony Books, 288 pages)
Cosmic Consciousness and the Ptolemaic Principle
Leonard Mlodinow and Michael Shermer review You Are the Universe: Discovering Your Cosmic Self and Why it Matters, by Deepak Chopra and Menas Kafatos, 2017. (New York: Harmony Books, 288 pages)
eSkeptic for January 11, 2017
Stephen Beckner reviews season one of HBO’s most-watched TV series Westworld, and considers some of the concepts presented in the first ten episodes: creation, evolution, artificial intelligence, memory, consciousness, self-awareness, free will, and suffering. WARNING: This review contains spoiler alerts.
Out of the Loop, Lost in the Maze: The Stealth Determinism of Westworld
Stephen Beckner reviews season one of HBO’s most-watched TV series Westworld, and considers some of the concepts presented in the first ten episodes: creation, evolution, artificial intelligence, memory, consciousness, self-awareness, free will, and suffering. WARNING: This review contains spoilers from season one, and speculation about future events.
eSkeptic for July 6, 2016
In this week’s eSkeptic, Sebastian Dieguez, cognitive neuroscientist at the University of Fribourg, Switzerland, reviews The Myth of an Afterlife: The Case against Life after Death, edited by M. Martin and K. Augustine.
Heaven is Not for Real
Given the current success of neuroscience in establishing the neural basis of consciousness and thought, is it still honest to claim that we simply don’t know “what comes after”? Cognitive neuroscientist, Sebastian Dieguez, of the University of Fribourg, Switzerland, reviews The Myth of an Afterlife: The Case against Life after Death, edited by M. Martin and K. Augustine.
Good Grief, Skip! Murder, Mourning, or Anthropomorphism?
Mike McRae considers our often mistaken tendency to interpret non-human animals as exhibiting human thoughts and emotional states.
Quantum Leaps
Michael Shermer considers Deepak Chopra’s use and abuse of quantum physics.
15-02-04
Rent Sam Harris’ “Waking Up” on Vimeo On Demand; Read Insights on Shakespeare, ghosts, and the Simpsons; Hear Bill Nye on Skepticality; mark your calendar for Shermer lecture on The Moral Arc at Caltech
Beware the Dystopian Visions of Celebrity Scientists
Mike McRae considers artificial intelligence, and critiques physicist Stephen Hawking’s opinions on the topic as “expert creep”—the phenomenon of scientists celebrated within one discipline choosing to make public statements on matters outside of their field of experience.
The Fifth Horseman: The Insights of Victor Stenger (1935–2014)
Michael Shermer reflects on the life and skepticism of physicist Victor Stenger.
13-07-17
In this week’s eSkeptic, Harriet Hall, M.D reviews Richard Burton’s book A Skeptic’s Guide to the Mind: What Neuroscience Can and Cannot Tell Us About Ourselves.
13-03-20
The majority of Americans believe that the soul lives on after the body dies. How can we know whether consciousness can survive bodily death? In this week’s eSkeptic, Stephen Cave takes a look at the belief that souls exist, and reminds us that modern brain imaging technology provides scientific evidence to strengthen the case against such fuzzy notions.
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