📰 To Read: 🔖 Title: Free Will: A Materialist Thinks It Might Somehow Be Real 🗓️ Published: Wed, 30 Oct 2024 16:49:26 +0000 📄 Summary: University of Toronto psychiatrist Ralph Lewis explores the free will debate in a two-part series on Psychology Today. He examines arguments from Mitchell and Sapolsky, concluding that, due to our incomplete understanding of the brain's decision-making processes and human behavior predictability, we may consider ourselves as having degrees of freedom. Our evolved brain systems allow for self-control, suggesting some level of free will. #FreeWillDebate #NeuroscienceArguments 🔗

Mind Matters

Free Will: A Materialist Thinks It Might Somehow Be Real

Lewis is saying, essentially, that something not supported by physics somehow evolved. But surely that is not the position a physicalist would wish...

🗞️ Source: Mind Matters #taoism #spirituality #knowledge #reality

📰 To Read: 🔖 Title: Math prof: Monkeys cant type out Shakespeare in our universe 🗓️ Published: Sat, 02 Nov 2024 20:19:50 +0000 📄 Summary: Playing with infinity concepts can be fun, but they don't determine outcomes in our finite universe. A math professor explains why monkeys can't randomly type out Shakespeare in our reality. #Infinity #FiniteUniverse #Mathematics 🔗

Mind Matters

Math prof: Monkeys can’t type out Shakespeare in our universe

If we want to play around with infinity concepts, we can have fun. But we can’t use them to decide what might or might not happen in our finite u...

🗞️ Source: Mind Matters #meditation #hinduism #divinity #buddhism

📰 To Read: 🔖 Title: Did Stephen Hawking End His Career by Giving Up on Truth? 🗓️ Published: Sat, 02 Nov 2024 22:47:08 +0000 📄 Summary: The article discusses the idea that individuals have the freedom to choose their own truths by focusing on what they find important or meaningful. It questions whether Stephen Hawking ended his career by abandoning the pursuit of objective truth. 🔗

Mind Matters

Did Stephen Hawking End His Career by Giving Up on Truth?

One element of getting to choose our private truths is that we need only notice or understand the significance of the things we want to notice or u...

🗞️ Source: Mind Matters #buddhism #consciousness #gnosis #quantum

📰 To Read: 🔖 Title: Are Phones to Blame for a Spiritual Crisis? 🗓️ Published: Mon, 04 Nov 2024 21:47:48 +0000 📄 Summary: Social psychologist Jonathan Haidt highlights in his book "The Anxious Generation" how phones are hindering our pursuit of meaning, values, and empathy. Andy Crouch, a Christian author, also discusses the impact of technology on relationships in his works. Both authors delve into the challenges posed by our screen-based existence. #technology #spirituality #meaning 🔗

Mind Matters

Are Phones to Blame for a Spiritual Crisis?

The main problem with “magical thinking” is that it is, by nature, impersonal, because personal connection is never instant.

🗞️ Source: Mind Matters #sacred #awakening #transcendence #divinity

📰 To Read: 🔖 Title: Neuroscientist Seeks the First Spark of Human Consciousness 🗓️ Published: Wed, 06 Nov 2024 15:35:48 +0000 📄 Summary: Neuroscientists are exploring the origins of human consciousness, questioning if pre-existing models at birth indicate consciousness. The search for the first spark of consciousness raises intriguing questions about our understanding of the mind. #Neuroscience #Consciousness 🔗

Mind Matters

Neuroscientist Seeks the First Spark of Human Consciousness

If we have “prior models of how things ought to be” at birth, aren’t we already conscious?

🗞️ Source: Mind Matters #quantum #hinduism #consciousness #metaphysics

📰 To Read: 🔖 Title: Free Speech Report at Harvard: Professors Afraid to Speak Up 🗓️ Published: Fri, 08 Nov 2024 22:22:25 +0000 📄 Summary: Concerns about free speech rights at American universities, particularly Harvard, have been growing due to cancel culture stifling heterodox viewpoints. Professors at Harvard feel constrained by the prevailing campus consensus, hindering their ability to freely profess diverse perspectives. Rikki Schlott's report sheds light on the challenges academics face in expressing differing truths in an environment where free speech is increasingly restricted. #FreeSpeech #HarvardUniversity 🔗

Mind Matters

Free Speech Report at Harvard: Professors Afraid to Speak Up

For a college responsible for producing many of the world’s future leaders in politics, business, and academia, this is a concerning report.

🗞️ Source: Mind Matters #meditation #metaphysics #wisdom #hinduism

📰 To Read: 🔖 Title: Possible Breakthrough: Bee Gene Specifies Complex Hive Behavior 🗓️ Published: Sat, 09 Nov 2024 23:01:42 +0000 📄 Summary: New research suggests a breakthrough in understanding bee behavior through a specific gene that could explain their collective intelligence. This raises the intriguing question of whether insects could have access to the intelligence behind the universe. #beebehavior #collectiveintelligence 🔗

Mind Matters

Possible Breakthrough: Bee Gene Specifies Complex Hive Behavior

If the universe is the product of intelligence, in principle, insects could have access to it. But the question is, how, exactly?

🗞️ Source: Mind Matters #meditation #reality #awakening #wisdom

📰 To Read: 🔖 Title: Mirror Neurons and Consciousness: A Philosophical Perspective 🗓️ Published: Sat, 16 Nov 2024 23:11:20 +0000 📄 Summary: Philosopher Dr. Mihretu Guta discussed mirror neurons' role in consciousness on the Mind Matters News podcast. Dr. Guta critiques the popular view that mirror neurons directly cause behaviors, emphasizing the need to distinguish correlation from causation and the limitations of extrapolating from monkey studies to human cognition. Read more about his insights on mirror neurons and consciousness here: [source link]. 🔗

Mind Matters

Mirror Neurons and Consciousness: A Philosophical Perspective

The podcast episode highlights the need for integrating neuroscience with philosophy to unravel the mysteries of consciousness.

🗞️ Source: Mind Matters #enlightenment #universe #buddhism #existence

📰 To Read: 🔖 Title: Machine Intelligence and Reasoning: We Are Not on a Path to AGI 🗓️ Published: Fri, 22 Nov 2024 20:27:29 +0000 📄 Summary: The article discusses the need for a reality check in the field of machine learning and AI, highlighting the influence of OpenAI, Project Strawberry, and the new hype cycle. It emphasizes the importance of understanding the limitations and challenges on the path to achieving Artificial General Intelligence (AGI). 🔗

Mind Matters

Machine Intelligence and Reasoning: We Are Not on a Path to AGI

A reality check for LLMs is inevitable, and with OpenAI, “Project Strawberry,” and the new hype cycle — thanks to Chollet and others — it�...

🗞️ Source: Mind Matters #perception #understanding #truth #esoteric

📰 To Read: 🔖 Title: Why Do Science and Tech Writers Hate Elon Musk? 🗓️ Published: Sat, 23 Nov 2024 21:32:47 +0000 📄 Summary: Elon Musk's vision for the future involves fostering curiosity about the universe to propel humanity towards becoming a multiplanet and eventually interstellar species. #ElonMusk #SpaceExploration #FutureVision 🔗

Mind Matters

Why Do Science and Tech Writers Hate Elon Musk?

Musk’s philosophy of the future: I believe it should be curiosity about the Universe – expand humanity to become a multiplanet, then interstell...

🗞️ Source: Mind Matters #divinity #hermetic #alchemy #understanding

📰 To Read: 🔖 Title: Study: Great Apes Point to How Human Language May Have Evolved 🗓️ Published: Thu, 28 Nov 2024 18:04:58 +0000 📄 Summary: The article discusses the vast gap in language abilities between humans and other life forms, highlighting that the divide is not just between primates and other mammals. It suggests that the evolution of human language sets us apart from all other species. 🔗

Mind Matters

Study: Great Apes Point to How Human Language May Have Evolved

In reality, where language is concerned, there is a vast gulf fixed. It is not between primates and other mammals but between humans and all other ...

🗞️ Source: Mind Matters #mysticism #quantum #esoteric #enlightenment

📰 To Read: 🔖 Title: Can the Soul Be Defined Out of Existence? 🗓️ Published: Sun, 01 Dec 2024 18:58:49 +0000 📄 Summary: The article discusses the physicalist view that the mind is just a product of the brain's activities, aiming to avoid the contradictions that arise when contemplating this idea deeply. #MindMatters #Physicalism #BrainAndMind 🔗

Mind Matters

Can the Soul Be Defined Out of Existence?

The physicalist wants to assert that the mind (soul) is simply what the brain does while escaping the contradictions that follow if we think about ...

🗞️ Source: Mind Matters #existence #reality #knowledge #hinduism

📰 To Read: 🔖 Title: AI Adoption is Slowing Amidst the Biggest Gamble in Business History 🗓️ Published: Mon, 02 Dec 2024 15:51:27 +0000 📄 Summary: Knowledge workers are expressing less enthusiasm for AI compared to top managers, signaling a slowdown in AI adoption. This shift in sentiment among knowledge workers highlights a potential challenge in the widespread integration of AI technologies in businesses. #AI #KnowledgeWorkers #BusinessTrends 🔗

Mind Matters

AI Adoption is Slowing Amidst the “Biggest Gamble in Business History”

In the case of AI, knowledge workers are trying to tell us something. They don’t like AI as much the top managers do, and their excitement is fal...

🗞️ Source: Mind Matters #enlightenment #existence #taoism #cosmos

📰 To Read: 🔖 Title: Now the New Rights Cause Is Whale Rights 🗓️ Published: Wed, 04 Dec 2024 00:10:00 +0000 📄 Summary: The article discusses the advancement of the nature rights project, focusing on the emergence of a whale rights project led by a major international law firm, Simmons and Simmons. This groundbreaking initiative seeks to grant whales legal personhood, challenging the traditional notion of legal standing reserved for humans, organizations, and corporations. #WhaleRights #LegalPersonhood 🔗

Mind Matters

Now the New Rights Cause Is Whale Rights

I certainly believe in whale conservation but only humans and our associations and juridical entities have legal standing in courts or enforceable ...

🗞️ Source: Mind Matters #consciousness #enlightenment #wisdom #existence

📰 To Read: 🔖 Title: Monday Micro Softy 4: Claude King Bests Clifton Clowers 🗓️ Published: Mon, 09 Dec 2024 17:56:05 +0000 📄 Summary: Claude's sweetheart Chloe warns him that both slips say "death," but he brushes it off. The article explores how Claude manages to avoid death and marry Chloe despite the ominous warning on the slips. 🔗

Mind Matters

Monday Micro Softy 4: Claude King Bests Clifton Clowers

Claude’s sweetheart Chloe warns him that, in reality, both slips say “death.” He says never mind. So how did he escape death and marry her?

🗞️ Source: Mind Matters #existence #meditation #awakening #esoteric

📰 To Read: 🔖 Title: Why Scientism is A Dead End for Science As Well As Philosophy 🗓️ Published: Sun, 15 Dec 2024 17:35:55 +0000 📄 Summary: The article argues that relying solely on science for truth is risky because if scientific inquiry becomes corrupt or ineffective, there are no other sources to turn to for help. It suggests that an absolute monopoly of science on truth can be a dead-end for both science and philosophy. #Science #Truth #Philosophy 🔗

Mind Matters

Why Scientism is A Dead End for Science As Well As Philosophy

An absolute monopoly for science on truth conceals a fatal flaw. If scientific inquiry becomes corrupt or useless, we can find help from no other q...

🗞️ Source: Mind Matters #transcendence #metaphysics #mindfulness #taoism

📰 To Read: 🔖 Title: Physicists propose to test the finetuning of the universe 🗓️ Published: Sat, 21 Dec 2024 20:46:34 +0000 📄 Summary: The article discusses the debate over whether the universe shows evidence of design or not, highlighting that both perspectives are equally valid. It emphasizes the bias in dismissing the idea of design in the universe. 🔗

Mind Matters

Physicists propose to test the finetuning of the universe

It is not more “metaphysical” to say that the universe shows apparent evidence of design than to say it does not. The bias in insisting otherwi...

🗞️ Source: Mind Matters #hermetic #kabbalah #mysticism #transcendence

📰 To Read: 🔖 Title: Michael Shermer: Wokeness Poisons Science and I Am No Longer Woke 🗓️ Published: Thu, 26 Dec 2024 18:07:44 +0000 📄 Summary: The article suggests that believing in a guiding intelligence behind the universe can help prevent the spread of pseudoscience. It argues that embracing this perspective can serve as a defense against unfounded and harmful scientific claims. 🔗

Mind Matters

Michael Shermer: Wokeness Poisons Science and I Am No Longer Woke

Maybe we need to believe that there is a Mind behind the universe in order to provide guardrails against deeply crazy stuff claiming to be science.

🗞️ Source: Mind Matters #mindfulness #mysticism #awareness #existence

📰 To Read: 🔖 Title: Evolution Journal Editors Resign After AI Takes Over 🗓️ Published: Mon, 30 Dec 2024 16:08:28 +0000 📄 Summary: Editors of a journal resign after AI takes over, questioning the origin of the human mind without referencing the mind that created the universe. The article explores the implications of this shift in perspective. 🔗

Mind Matters

Evolution Journal Editors Resign After AI Takes Over

Was a journal that tries to explain the origin of the unique human mind without any reference to the Mind that created the universe bound to end up...

🗞️ Source: Mind Matters #esoteric #spirituality #sacred #awareness

📰 To Read: 🔖 Title: Edge of Sentience Summarizes Research on Animals, AIs Feelings 🗓️ Published: Fri, 03 Jan 2025 19:52:24 +0000 📄 Summary: Jonathan Birch, a philosophy professor at LSE, delves into animal sentience in his book "The Edge of Sentience." His work influences legislation and think tanks, such as shaping the UK's Animal Welfare (Sentience) Act. Birch's expertise extends to invertebrate sentience and the exploration of AI sentience. #AnimalSentience #Ethics #AI 🔗

Mind Matters

Edge of Sentience Summarizes Research on Animals’, AIs’ Feelings

When the issue of feeling in unborn children is raised, all that freewheeling sympathy and demand for legal protection just vanishes.

🗞️ Source: Mind Matters #metaphysics #esoteric #perception #existence