I’ve been reading Quantum Enigma, recent book by Bruce Rosenblum and Fred Kuttner, published through Oxford. Both of the authors are physics professors, so they might seem like unlikely cognitive science writers, but their explorations of the bridge between physics and consciousness are interesting. The tone of the book is factual, giving brief explanations of quantum mechanical theory and the spooky sorts of things implied (wave/particle duality, uncertainty), but the underlying theme is the question of whether physics rests on consciousness or vice-versa. While I know some especially physicalist cognitive scientists laugh dismissively at this very question, I think it is one that we should at least bear in mind– physics, a science we consider foundational to all our empirical knowledge, has its own rift between the micro- and macroscopic worlds in quantum mechanics, and this rift allows for some degree of interpretation. Of course, the relevance or existence of consciousness is also an issue worth raising, and Rosenblum and Kuttner do not leave this stone unturned, either. As the authors point out, however, quantum mechanics is THE most reliably tested theory in physics, and at no point have its odd predictions been shown to be incorrect by a valid experiment. While Rosenblum and Kuttner avoid coming to any hasty conclusions, they present physics’ observations and offer a number of interpretations, some of which are more solipsistic than others. Other philosophical favorites like free will vs. determinism are also brought up. I think this book would interest anyone interested in physics, psychology, or cognitive science; it features some pretty cogent explanations of quantum mechanics and its applications in addition to intriguing devil’s advocacy and philosophical interpretation, which remains a big part of scientific thought today.
The New English Review has a poignant article by Theordore Darlrymple entitled “Do The Impossible: Know Thyself.” With the deluge of editorials, opinion pieces and essays describing how neuroscience is the last vast expanse separating humanity from truly knowing itself. This comes on the heals of Jeffery Rosen’s article in the New York Times Magazine entitled The Brain on the Stand, elucidating the shaky relationship between neuroscience and law in America. Jeffery Rosen was profiled on NPR’s Fresh Air today. I’ve found myself debating the pros and cons of neuroscience, and I have become comfortable in the fact that it probably won’t reveal all of our inner secrets, but it will certainly foster a greater understanding of mankind; or at least of his own self image. Here’s a snippet from Darlrymple’s essay:
Those who say that we are on the verge of a huge increase in self-understanding are claiming that enlightenment will suddenly be reached under the scientific bo tree. The enlightenment will have to be sudden rather than gradual because, if it were gradual, we should already be able to point to an increase in human contentment and self-control brought about by our already increased knowledge. But even the most advanced societies are just as full of angst, or poor impulse control, of existential bewilderment, of adherence to clearly irrational doctrines, as ever they were. There is no sign that, Prozac and neurosurgery notwithstanding, any of this is about to change fundamentally.
In other words, I think that life will continue to bewilder us for as long as we are self-conscious, thinking, feeling beings.
Tags: neuroscience, science, cogsci, cognitive science, philosophy, mind, law
In my car today I listened to a fantastic NPR piece on H.M., the patient who’s medial temporal lobe was removed in the 1950s to cure his epilepsy. The procedure was a success in that he only has epileptic seizures about once a year now, but this came with what some would argue is the ultimate price: his inability to form new memories. However, at one point during the interview he was able to remember that JFK was assassinated. The fact that he knows who JFK is is itself amazing, and sent a chill down my spine when he said in response to the interviewer, “Kennedy.”
Technorati Tags: brain, cogsci, epilepsy, h.m., interview, memory, mind, psychology, temporal lobe
Chances are if you’re reading this blog, you’ve read work by John Searle. Well, the Boston Globe has an interview with him that took place February 4th, discussing changes in the paradigms of neurophilosophy, free will, self-conception, and general philosophy of mind.
Technorati Tags: brain, cogsci, consciousness, mind, philosophy, interview, searle, time
Developing Intelligence has an excellent dopamine primer that also discusses computational modeling of the neurotransmitter. Discusses phasic versus tonic dopamine, models of working memory, among other things. An excellent read.
Technorati Tags: brain, cogsci, neuroscience, modeling
The New York Times has a rather long article about the psychology of happiness, differences between pleasure and selfless acts of kindness and their impact on quality of life, among other things. Written for the lay person, it is still quite interesting and engaging. Via MindHacks. Also, Harvard Magazine has an another article on positive psychology.
Technorati Tags: brain, cogsci, happiness, nytimes, psychology, virtue
The CogSci Librarian has an excellent post about the mysteries of consciousness about the Easy and Hard problems, Daniel Dennett’s discussion of the Hard problem, and an interesting link to a story about imagining playing a piano and actually doing it. Check it.
Technorati Tags: cogsci, consciousness, danieldennett, brain, science, time
The New York Times has an excellent article by Sandra Blakeslee about the insular cortex, commonly referred to as the insula. The insula recently received a lot of media attention after it was implicated in smoking cessation.
The frontal insula is where people sense love and hate, gratitude and resentment, self-confidence and embarrassment, trust and distrust, empathy and contempt, approval and disdain, pride and humiliation, truthfulness and deception, atonement and guilt.
Inspired by a post from Mind Hacks.
Here’s a list of cognitive science-related blogs I stole from an Encephalon callout.
Subscribe with your favorite RSS reader (I prefer Google Reader) and digest some of the latest goings on in the field(s) of cognitive science. More to come in the future. If you have a cogsci-related blog you’d like to share, comment or email me.
If you’re here, you’re probably either a current member of SOCS or somebody who happens to be interested in cognitive science. I’m Patrick Mundy, and Jeff Alstott and I are the SOCS co-presidents. You’ll be seeing posts from both of us, as well as from the SOCS webmaster, Jordan Thevenow-Harrison.
Jeff and I took the reins just last semester, so SOCS is still getting rolling. So far this year we’ve had professor dinners with Rob Goldstone, Doug Hofstadter, and Colin Allen, as well as several discussions on artificial intelligence, face recognition, and creativity. Last semester we hosted a Blade Runner movie night, and we were involved in the robotics lab open house (we have merged with the robotics club–if anyone is interested, e-mail me at pmundy@indiana.edu or Jeff at jalstott@indiana.edu). We have around ten undergraduate and graduate students working on a robot that will eventually (though with a lot of work) learn to play the saxophone, and there is certainly potential for independent projects and research for those interested.
We’re also looking to do a field trip or two and we will be hosting a mini-research symposium in the spring so that students doing research in cog sci, psychology, and other such fields can practice presenting their work. We also will be doing some social nights, with maybe a movie, bowling, or something similarly casual =).
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