Podcast appearances and mentions of dan dennett

Is miere autonome? Het hase 'theories of mind'? Hoekom lyk robotte soos oulike diertjies? Weet die kiewiet hy flous die jakkals? Ervaar krewe pyn? Is daar verskillende vlakke van bewussyn? Ons weet nie wat die antwoorde is nie, maar ons gaan nie stilbly nie! Gelukkig is Dan Dennett se wysheid naby om ons deur die probleem te lei. Braitenberg Masjien: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-fxij3zM7g Kinds of Minds: https://www.amazon.com.au/Kinds-Minds-Toward-Understanding-Consciousness/dp/0465073514 Howl's Moving Castle: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Howl%27s_Moving_Castle_(film)

Sam Harris speaks with Richard Dawkins about his new book The Genetic Book of the Dead, the genome as a palimpsest, what scientists of the future may do with genetic information, genotypes and phenotypes, embryology and epigenetics, why the Lamarckian theory of acquired characteristics couldn't be true, how environmental selection pressure works, why evolution is hard to think about, human dependence on material culture, the future of genetic enhancement of human beings, viral DNA, symbiotic bacteria, AI and the future of scholarship, resurrecting extinct species, the problem of free speech in the UK, the problem of political Islam and antisemitism in the UK, reflections on Dan Dennett, and other topics. If the Making Sense podcast logo in your player is BLACK, you can SUBSCRIBE to gain access to all full-length episodes at samharris.org/subscribe. Learning how to train your mind is the single greatest investment you can make in life. That's why Sam Harris created the Waking Up app. From rational mindfulness practice to lessons on some of life's most important topics, join Sam as he demystifies the practice of meditation and explores the theory behind it.

Share this episode: https://www.samharris.org/podcasts/making-sense-episodes/382-the-eye-of-nature Sam Harris speaks with Richard Dawkins about his new book The Genetic Book of the Dead, the genome as a palimpsest, what scientists of the future may do with genetic information, genotypes and phenotypes, embryology and epigenetics, why the Lamarckian theory of acquired characteristics couldn't be true, how environmental selection pressure works, why evolution is hard to think about, human dependence on material culture, the future of genetic enhancement of human beings, viral DNA, symbiotic bacteria, AI and the future of scholarship, resurrecting extinct species, the problem of free speech in the UK, the problem of political Islam and antisemitism in the UK, reflections on Dan Dennett, and other topics. Richard Dawkins is an evolutionary biologist and a best-selling author. He is celebrated globally for his unwavering critique of religion and his commitment to critical thinking. His books include The Ancestor’s Tale, The Selfish Gene, The Blind Watchmaker, Climbing Mount Improbable, Unweaving the Rainbow, A Devil’s Chaplain, The God Delusion, The Greatest Show on Earth, The Magic of Reality, his two-part autobiography An Appetite for Wonder and Brief Candle in the Dark, and Outgrowing God: A Beginner’s Guide. His final book tour, “An Evening with Richard Dawkins,” is currently underway. Website: richarddawkinstour.com Twitter: @RichardDawkins Learning how to train your mind is the single greatest investment you can make in life. That’s why Sam Harris created the Waking Up app. From rational mindfulness practice to lessons on some of life’s most important topics, join Sam as he demystifies the practice of meditation and explores the theory behind it.

Episode 66: You Know What Is WEIRD? | Put Em On The Couch Podcast Welcome to the 66th episode of Put Em On The Couch! In this engaging installment, hosts Jason McCoy and Nelson Beaulieu explore the concept of "weird" through four distinct psychological lenses, providing a comprehensive analysis of what makes something appear strange or out of the ordinary. We start with a thought-provoking clip from Gov. Tim Waltz and J.D. Vance using "weird" to critique political ideas and opponents. How does the term shape our understanding and perception of various topics? Jason and Nelson delve into four key perspectives on what defines "weird": Understanding: Does the behavior or idea challenge our comprehension, making it appear "weird" simply because it is not easily understood? Norm Violation: Does the behavior or concept violate societal or cultural norms, leading us to label it as "weird"? Moral Violations: Does the behavior breach moral or legal standards, contributing to its classification as "weird"? Statistical Uniqueness: Is the behavior statistically rare or deviates from the norm, which might make it seem "weird" in comparison to the average? The episode also explores real-world examples, including RFK's unusual fascination with roadkill and the effects of brain parasites on behavior. Insights from Dan Dennett on microorganisms that influence the brain provide an intriguing addition to our discussion. Additionally, we examine the concept of W.E.I.R.D. (Western, Educated, Industrial, Rich, Democratic) and its impact on social science and psychology. How does this framework influence our understanding and categorization of "weird" behaviors? Enjoyed the episode? Subscribe to Put Em On The Couch for more in-depth explorations of complex topics! If you found this episode insightful, please leave us a rating and review on your favorite podcast platform—it helps us reach more curious listeners. Follow us on social media and join the conversation! Keywords: weirdness, psychological lenses, political rhetoric, clinical psychology, James Joyce, brain parasites, RFK, Dan Dennett, W.E.I.R.D., social science, human behavior, understanding norms, moral violations, statistical uniqueness Hashtags: #Weirdness #PsychologicalLenses #PoliticalRhetoric #ClinicalPsychology #JamesJoyce #BrainParasites #RFK #DanDennett #WEIRD #SocialScience #HumanBehavior

WATCH ON YOUTUBE - https://youtu.be/EkEECvtPHswThe legendary philosopher Daniel Dennett sadly passed away in April this year. In this episode, I interview one of Dan's friends, philosopher Keith Frankish, about Dan's philosophical achievements, personality and life.The Human Podcast is a new show that explores the lives and stories of a wide range of individuals. New episodes are released every week - subscribe to stay notified.SOCIAL:TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@thehumanpodcasttiktokInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/thehumanpodcastinsta

 If you've taken Linguistics 101, you know what language is. It's a system for conveying meaning through speech. We build words out of sounds, and then complex ideas out of those words. Remarkably, the relationship between the sounds and the meanings they convey is purely arbitrary. Human language consists, in other words, of abstract symbols. Now, of course, there are also sign languages, but these operate in the same way, just in a different medium. This, anyway, is the view of language that has dominated and defined linguistics for many decades. But some think it gets some pretty fundamental things pretty wrong. Some think we need a new picture of language altogether.  My guest today is Dr. Neil Cohn. Neil is Associate Professor at the Tilburg Center for Cognition and Communication, in the Netherlands; he is also the director of the Visual Language Lab at Tilburg. For about two decades, Neil has been studying the rich properties of graphic systems—especially comics—and has built an argument that some constitute full-blown languages. His latest book, co-authored with, Joost Schilperoord, is titled A Multimodal Language Faculty. It challenges that longstanding, deeply held view of what language is. Instead, the book argues that the human language capacity combines three different modalities—the vocal modality (as in speech), the bodily modality (as in gesture), and the graphic modality (as in comics and other visual narratives). And each of these modalities is naturally able to support full-blown languages. Here, Neil and I talk about the basic assumptions of modern linguistics and where those assumptions come from. We discuss the idea that there are three expressive modalities that come naturally to humans, with each modality optimized for certain kinds of meaning. We talk about Neil's career, not only as an academic, but as an illustrator. We discuss cross-cultural differences and similarities in comics, and how comics have changed over the last century. And, finally, we consider how Neil's framework challenges current theorizing about the evolution of language. Along the way, Neil and I touch on sign languages and homesign systems, visual style vs visual language, Peircean semiotics, animal tracks, cave art, emoji, upfixes, sand drawing, Manga, the refrain "I can't draw," and the idea that the graphic modality is the only one that's truly unique to our species.  After this episode we'll be taking a bit of a summer break, but we'll be posting some old favorites to tide you over. Alright friends, hope you enjoy this one. On to my conversation with Neil Cohn. Enjoy!   A transcript of this episode will be available soon.   Notes and links 3:30 – An earlier paper by Dr. Cohn on the well-worn refrain “I can't draw.” His more recent Twitter thread covering the topic.  9:00 – An overview of research on homesign systems. For a broader discussion of differences between gesture, homesign systems, and established sign languages, see here.  15:00 – A comic, ‘Chinese Room,' commissioned by the philosopher Dan Dennett and drawn by Dr. Cohn. 19:30 – The webpage of Dr. Cohn's graduate mentor, Ray Jackendoff. 25:00 – A brief overview paper by Dr. Cohn and Dr. Schilperoord on the need to “reimagine language.” 25:30 – The classic book, based on lecture notes, by Ferdinand de Saussure, ‘Course in General Linguistics.'  44:00 – For an overview of “bimodal bilingualism,” see here.  50:00 – A study by Dr. Cohn and colleagues on the processing of emoji substituted for words. 56:00 – A recent study by Dr. Cohn and colleagues on anaphora in visual narratives.  58:30 – For our previous audio essay on animal (and human) tracks, see here.  1:01:30 – For examples of scholarship on non-Western methods of visual storytelling, including Aboriginal Australian sand drawing, see Dr. Cohn's earlier edited volume here. For a deeper dive into sand drawing, see the monograph by Jenny Green here.  1:03:00 – Dr. Cohn also recently published a book on cross-cultural aspects of comics, The Patterns of Comics. The book is the fruit of his lab's TINTIN project.  1:11:00 – For a video of Aboriginal Australian sand drawing, see here. 1:13:00 – See Dr. Cohn's earlier book, Who Understands Comics? 1:15:00 – A study on “upfixes” by Dr. Cohn and a colleague. 1:22:00 – A popular article by Dr. Cohn on the linguistic status of emoji. 1:31:00 – For a deep dive into Peircean semiotics, see here. 1:36:00 – For my own general-audience treatment of “gesture first” theories of language evolution and the “modality transition” problem, see here. 1:37:00 – A paper by Dr. Jackendoff and Eva Wittenberg outlining their “complexity hierarchy.”  ­­­­1:50:00 – For the Getty museum exhibit associated with Dr. Cohn's lecture, see here.   Recommendations The Texture of the Lexicon, by Jenny Audring and Ray Jackendoff Battle in the Mind Fields, by John Goldsmith and Bernard Laks History and Philosophy of the Language Sciences podcast, hosted by James McElvenny   Many Minds is a project of the Diverse Intelligences Summer Institute, which is made possible by a generous grant from the Templeton World Charity Foundation to UCLA. It is hosted and produced by Kensy Cooperrider, with help from Assistant Producer Urte Laukaityte and with creative support from DISI Directors Erica Cartmill and Jacob Foster. Our artwork is by Ben Oldroyd. Our transcripts are created by Sarah Dopierala.  Subscribe to Many Minds on Apple, Stitcher, Spotify, Pocket Casts, Google Play, or wherever you listen to podcasts. You can also now subscribe to the Many Minds newsletter here! We welcome your comments, questions, and suggestions. Feel free to email us at: manymindspodcast@gmail.com.  For updates about the show, visit our website or follow us on Twitter: @ManyMindsPod.

A cluster of brain cells in a dish, pulsing with electrical activity. A bee buzzing its way through a garden in bloom. A newborn baby staring up into his mother's eyes. What all these entities have in common is that we don't quite know what it's like to be them—or, really, whether it's like anything at all. We don't really know, in other words, whether they're conscious. But maybe we could know—if only we developed the right test.  My guest today is Dr. Tim Bayne. Tim is Professor of Philosophy at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia. He's a philosopher of mind and cognitive science, with a particular interest in the nature of consciousness. Along with a large team of co-authors, Tim recently published an article titled 'Tests for consciousness in humans and beyond.' In it, they review the current landscape of consciousness tests—or “C-tests”, as they call them—and outline strategies for building more and better tests down the road.  Here, Tim and I discuss what consciousness is and why theories of it seem to be proliferating. We consider several of the boundary cases that are most hotly debated right now in the field—cases like brain organoids, neonates, and split-brain patients. We sketch a few of the most prominent current consciousness tests: the command following test, the sniff test, the unlimited associative learning test, and the test for AI consciousness. We talk about how we might be able to inch our way, slowly, toward something like a thermometer for consciousness: a universal test that tells us whether an entity is conscious, or to what degree, or even what kind of conscious it is. Along the way, Tim and I talk about zombies, chatbots, brains in vats, and islands of awareness. And we muse about how, in certain respects, consciousness is like temperature, or perhaps more like happiness or wealth or intelligence, and maybe even a bit like fire.  I think you'll enjoy this one, friends—it's a thought-provoking conversation on a foundational topic, and one that takes us far and wide. So without further ado, here's my interview with Dr. Tim Bayne. Enjoy!   A transcript of this episode will be available soon.   Notes and links 4:45 – The philosopher Dan Dennett, who passed way in April, was known for his writings on consciousness—among them his 1991 book, Consciousness Explained. 7:00 – The classic paper on the neural correlates of consciousness, by Francis Crick and Christof Koch.   9:00 – A recent review of theories of consciousness by Anil Seth and Dr. Bayne. 10:00 – David Chalmers' classic paper on the “hard problem” of consciousness.  13:00 – Thomas Nagel's classic paper on what it's like to be a bat. 20:00 – A recent paper by James Croxford and Dr. Bayne arguing against consciousness in brain organoids. 23:00 – A recent paper by Dr. Bayne and colleagues about the emergence of consciousness in infants.  27:00 – A recent paper by Dr. Bayne and colleagues about consciousness in split-brain patients. An earlier paper by Dr. Bayne on the same topic. 30:00 – A paper by Dr. Bayne, Anil Seth, and Marcello Massimini on the notion of “islands of awareness.” 35:00 – The classic paper using the “(covert) command following test” in a patient in a so-called vegetative state.  38:00 – A 2020 paper introducing the “sniff test.”  40:00 – A recent primer on the “unlimited associative learning” test.  43:00 – An essay (preview only), by the philosopher Susan Schneider, proposing the AI consciousness test. 50:00 – The history of the scientific understanding of temperature is detailed in Hasok Chang's book, Inventing Temperature. 53:30 – Different markers of consciousness in infants are reviewed in Dr. Bayne and colleagues' recent paper. 1:03:00 – The ‘New York Declaration on Animal Consciousness' was announced in April. Read about it here.   Recommendations Being You, Anil Seth Into the Gray Zone, Adrian Owen Other Minds, Peter Godfrey-Smith   Many Minds is a project of the Diverse Intelligences Summer Institute, which is made possible by a generous grant from the Templeton World Charity Foundation to UCLA. It is hosted and produced by Kensy Cooperrider, with help from Assistant Producer Urte Laukaityte and with creative support from DISI Directors Erica Cartmill and Jacob Foster. Our artwork is by Ben Oldroyd. Our transcripts are created by Sarah Dopierala.  Subscribe to Many Minds on Apple, Stitcher, Spotify, Pocket Casts, Google Play, or wherever you listen to podcasts. You can also now subscribe to the Many Minds newsletter here! We welcome your comments, questions, and suggestions. Feel free to email us at: manymindspodcast@gmail.com.  For updates about the show, visit our website or follow us on Twitter: @ManyMindsPod.

Welcome to the May 2024 Ask Me Anything episode of Mindscape! These monthly excursions are funded by Patreon supporters (who are also the ones asking the questions). We take questions asked by Patreons, whittle them down to a more manageable number -- based primarily on whether I have anything interesting to say about them, not whether the questions themselves are good -- and sometimes group them together if they are about a similar topic. Enjoy!Blog post with questions and transcript: https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2024/05/06/ama-may-2024/Support Mindscape on Patreon.Here is the memorial to Dan Dennett at Ars Technica.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Hemant Mehta is an author, a YouTuber, and an atheist activist. During our conversation, Hemant talks about his journey to atheism, the threat of Christian nationalism to secular society, and the atheist and secular movements. He also addresses the loss of community felt by those who leave religion, and the life and legacy of Daniel Dennett, including his work with The Clergy Project.------------Keep Talking SubstackRate on SpotifyRate on Apple PodcastsSocial media and all episodes------------Support via VenmoSupport on SubstackSupport on Patreon------------00:00 Intro00:37 Hemant's personal and religious background 06:58 Hemant's experience losing his religious belief 08:40 Has Hemant's atheism changed him? 11:30 What persuaded Hemant to become an atheist? 14:49 Modern instances of religious overreach into secular society 20:37 Hemant's definition of atheism 22:57 What motivates Hemant's work 30:50 Christian nationalism in America 36:25 Reasons for optimism 42:19 The loss of community as people leave religion 46:58 Does Hemant have doubts about his atheist convictions? 49:22 Who does Hemant go to for information? 55:49 Dan Dennett and The Clergy Project

Sam Harris begins by remembering his friendship with Dan Dennett. He then speaks with David Wallace-Wells about the shattering of our information landscape. They discuss the false picture of reality produced during Covid, the success of the vaccines, how various countries fared during the pandemic, our preparation for a future pandemic, how we normalize danger and death, the current global consensus on climate change, the amount of warming we can expect, the consequence of a 2-degree Celsius warming, the effects of air pollution, global vs local considerations, Greta Thunberg and climate catastrophism, growth vs degrowth, market forces, carbon taxes, the consequences of political stagnation, the US national debt, the best way to attack the candidacy of Donald Trump, and other topics. If the Making Sense podcast logo in your player is BLACK, you can SUBSCRIBE to gain access to all full-length episodes at samharris.org/subscribe. Learning how to train your mind is the single greatest investment you can make in life. That's why Sam Harris created the Waking Up app. From rational mindfulness practice to lessons on some of life's most important topics, join Sam as he demystifies the practice of meditation and explores the theory behind it.

Share this episode: https://www.samharris.org/podcasts/making-sense-episodes/365-reality-check Sam Harris begins by remembering his friendship with Dan Dennett. He then speaks with David Wallace-Wells about the shattering of our information landscape. They discuss the false picture of reality produced during Covid, the success of the vaccines, how various countries fared during the pandemic, our preparation for a future pandemic, how we normalize danger and death, the current global consensus on climate change, the amount of warming we can expect, the consequence of a 2-degree Celsius warming, the effects of air pollution, global vs local considerations, Greta Thunberg and climate catastrophism, growth vs degrowth, market forces, carbon taxes, the consequences of political stagnation, the US national debt, the best way to attack the candidacy of Donald Trump, and other topics. David Wallace-Wells is a best-selling science writer and essayist who focuses on climate change, technology, and the future of the planet and how we live on it. David has been a National Fellow with the New America Foundation, a columnist and deputy editor of the New York Magazine, and was previously at The Paris Review. Currently, David is a writer for The New York Times and a columnist for the New York Times Magazine. He is the author of The Uninhabitable Earth: Life After Warming. Twitter: @dwallacewells Learning how to train your mind is the single greatest investment you can make in life. That’s why Sam Harris created the Waking Up app. From rational mindfulness practice to lessons on some of life’s most important topics, join Sam as he demystifies the practice of meditation and explores the theory behind it.

I filmed a conversation about death shortly after Dan Dennett recovered from a life-threatening condition. In addition to discussing personal mortality, we talked about bereavement. I thought this time it would be appropriate to listen again to his wisdom—the wisdom of a great thinker and a dear friend. Big books, was an eloquent speaker, had deep knowledge of science as well as philosophy, was a talented musician and sculptor, lived a full life and died in harness. It leaves a huge gap in the world of intellect, Dan, I will miss you so much, so deeply.

Sam Harris speaks with Robert Sapolsky about the widespread belief in free will. They discuss the limits of intuition, the views of Dan Dennett, complexity and emergence, downward causation, abstraction, epigenetics, predictability, fatalism, Benjamin Libet, the primacy of luck, historical change in attitudes about free will, implications for ethics and criminal justice, the psychological satisfaction of punishing bad people, understanding evil, punishment and reward as tools, meritocracy, the consequences of physical beauty, the logic of reasoning, and other topics. If the Making Sense podcast logo in your player is BLACK, you can SUBSCRIBE to gain access to all full-length episodes at samharris.org/subscribe. Learning how to train your mind is the single greatest investment you can make in life. That's why Sam Harris created the Waking Up app. From rational mindfulness practice to lessons on some of life's most important topics, join Sam as he demystifies the practice of meditation and explores the theory behind it.

Share this episode: https://www.samharris.org/podcasts/making-sense-episodes/360-we-really-dont-have-free-will Sam Harris speaks with Robert Sapolsky about the widespread belief in free will. They discuss the limits of intuition, the views of Dan Dennett, complexity and emergence, downward causation, abstraction, epigenetics, predictability, fatalism, Benjamin Libet, the primacy of luck, historical change in attitudes about free will, implications for ethics and criminal justice, the psychological satisfaction of punishing bad people, understanding evil, punishment and reward as tools, meritocracy, the consequences of physical beauty, the logic of reasoning, and other topics. Robert M. Sapolsky is the author of several works of nonfiction, including A Primate’s Memoir, The Trouble with Testosterone, Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers, and most recently, Determined: A Science of Life without Free Will. His book titled Behave was a New York Times bestseller and named a best book of the year by The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal. He is the John A. and Cynthia Fry Gunn Professor of biology, neurology, and neurosurgery at Stanford University and the recipient of a MacArthur Foundation “Genius Grant.” He and his wife live in San Francisco. Learning how to train your mind is the single greatest investment you can make in life. That’s why Sam Harris created the Waking Up app. From rational mindfulness practice to lessons on some of life’s most important topics, join Sam as he demystifies the practice of meditation and explores the theory behind it.

We read portions of books 9 (Theta) and 12 (Lambda) of Aristotle's Metaphysics, first on "being-at-work" (actuality) vs. mere potency, then on Aristotle's famous argument for the existence of God. Get more at partiallyexaminedlife.com. Visit partiallyexaminedlife.com/support to get ad-free episodes and tons of bonus discussion. Sponsors: Get a $1/month e-commerce trial at shopify.com/pel. Buy Philosophers on God: Talking about Existence feat. Dan Dennett, William Lane Craig, et al. Learn about our new book at partiallyexaminedlife.com/book.

In this interview with philosopher Dan Dennett, we discussed his brilliant book I've Been Thinking and the evolution of not just humankind, but of language and culture. We explored questions like: What is the future of human consciousness? And what role do AI technology and deep fakes play in our understanding of truth and reality? _______________________ Join Substack: https://richarddawkins.substack.com/Subscribe to Poetry of Reality Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmwfdgHA_R9fzr1L0_hxdVw Follow: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.poetry.of.reality/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/RichardDawkins Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RichardDawkinsBooks Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/ThePoetryofReality

For over 50 years now, Dan Dennett has written highly-praised, thoughtfully and provocatively on major philosophical issues. His ideas about consciousness, evolution, freedom - and, of course, theism - have provoked wonder and anger. In this week's episode, Nick Spencer speaks to Dan Dennett, about philosophy, Darwinism, naturalism and theism.

A 'Q&R' episode where a listener question about truth leads to morality via Dan Dennett.

YouTube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0BPLcuHnS_A This is a banger. Prof. Anand Vaidya of philosophy specializes in Vedic philosophy, epistemology, and we talk about God, free will, mathematics, Kripke, and even the ego as both an illusion and real. NOTE: The perspectives expressed by guests don't necessarily mirror my own. There's a versicolored arrangement of people on TOE, each harboring distinct viewpoints, as part of my endeavor to understand the perspectives that exist. - Patreon: https://patreon.com/curtjaimungal (early access to ad-free audio episodes!) - Crypto: https://tinyurl.com/cryptoTOE - PayPal: https://tinyurl.com/paypalTOE - Twitter: https://twitter.com/TOEwithCurt - Discord Invite: https://discord.com/invite/kBcnfNVwqs - iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast... - Pandora: https://pdora.co/33b9lfP - Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4gL14b9... - Subreddit r/TheoriesOfEverything: https://reddit.com/r/theoriesofeveryt... - TOE Merch: https://tinyurl.com/TOEmerch LINKS MENTIONED: - On Certification (Anand Vaidya): https://muse.jhu.edu/pub/5/article/89... - Podcast w/ Susan Schneider on TOE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmQXp... - Podcast w/ Anand Vaidya on TOE: https://youtu.be/RNmusKn6t_U - Reality Plus (David Chalmers): https://amzn.to/473AKPw - Podcast w/ Susan Blackmore Λ Bernardo Kastrup on TOE: https://youtu.be/jrVnAWP2XEs - Podcast w/ Dave Chalmers on TOE: COMING - Raymond Smullyan's Dialogue on Free Will: https://youtu.be/P-jh6tRh3Jw - Kripke's Naming and Necessity: https://amzn.to/3SbCNMZ TIMESTAMPS: - 00:00:00 Introduction - 00:02:36 Indian theories of knowledge and sentience - 00:08:00 Hedonic Tone and the mathematics of pleasure - 00:18:15 Exploration of non-dualism vs. unity with God & absence of subject-object distinction - 00:35:00 Misconceptions about non-dualism and the importance of rationality and logic - 00:46:41 Materialism in Indian philosophy - 01:56:00 Time, impermanence, and suffering - 01:15:01 Truth, falsity, and the ineffable - 01:35:19 Shankara philosophy and Dan Dennett's rebut against Mary - 01:47:00 Chomsky's vs. Kripke regarding reference and naming - 02:03:00 Metaphysically possible worlds - 02:31:10 Inflationary and deflationary approaches - 02:47:07 The Integration Challenge and the paradox of mathematical knowledge - 02:57:06 Donald Hoffman's perception theory - 03:07:04 Free will and determinism - 03:21:43 Grounding and grading of moral standing - 03:33:35 Modal logic - 03:43:02 Belief in belief Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I have been a fan of Robert Sapolsky's for a long time. He is a creative force, with wide ranging knowledge, from primatology to neuroscience, and he is also a wonderful expositor of science. His previous book, Behave, was a wide ranging exploration of human behavior, at its best and worst. I have been wanting to do a podcast with him for some time, and the launch of his new book, Determined, gave us the opportunity. I got an advanced copy and we recorded this a few weeks ago, so that this podcast could post on the book's publication date. Had it been anyone else, I admit I wouldn't have bothered to go through the book. I have long felt the issue of free will is overplayed. The laws of physics are deterministic, and since biology and chemistry are based on physics, I have never doubted that free will is an illusion, but have also felt that for all intents and purposes the world we live in is indistinguishable from a world with free will, so we should take responsibility for our actions. As is often the case when reading Robert's works, my view has now become more nuanced. His book masterfully discusses the neurobiology behind the illusion of free will, what actually interests me the most, and he effectively demolished claims of numerous philosophers, including Dan Dennett and others, that some magic occurs between the level of neurons and the level of the full brain that allows for some uncaused behavior. Along the way, we are taken on a masterful and fun ride through modern neurobiology. And at the end, Sapolsky confronts the more serious question of crime and punishment in a world where free will is an illusion, and convincingly argues that in a world where bad luck early on gets multiplied throughout ones life, society can far more effectively and honestly deal with crime by abolishing the notion of punishment, replacing it with behaviorally more effective methods. In our podcast, as we always do, we discussed Sapolsky's origins. What got him interested in science. How did his 30 years working with primates impact on his view of humans, and more. I found it a fascinating discussion, and I hope you will too. As always, an ad-free video version of this podcast is also available to paid Critical Mass subscribers. Your subscriptions support the non-profit Origins Project Foundation, which produces the podcast. The audio version is available free on the Critical Mass site and on all podcast sites, and the video version will also be available on the Origins Project Youtube channel as well. Get full access to Critical Mass at lawrencekrauss.substack.com/subscribe

Get tickets for our event: skeptic.com/event Daniel Dennett, preeminent philosopher and cognitive scientist, has spent his career considering the thorniest, most fundamental mysteries of the mind. Do we have free will? What is consciousness and how did it come about? What distinguishes human minds from the minds of animals? Dennett's answers have profoundly shaped our age of philosophical thought. In this episode, he reflects on his amazing career and lifelong scientific fascinations, as well as the value of life beyond the university, one enriched by sculpture, music, farming, and family.  Daniel C. Dennett is Professor Emeritus at Tufts University and the author of numerous books, including Intuition Pumps and Other Tools for Thinking, Breaking the Spell, Darwin's Dangerous Idea, and Consciousness Explained.

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This podcast is a commentary and does not contain any copyrighted material of the reference source. We strongly recommend accessing/buying the reference source at the same time. ■Reference Source https://www.ted.com/talks/dan_dennett_dangerous_memes ■Post on this topic (You can get FREE learning materials!) https://englist.me/171-academic-words-reference-from-dan-dennett-dangerous-memes-ted-talk/ ■Youtube Video https://youtu.be/wg4LhrqvP_c (All Words) https://youtu.be/I3TeFe5NjZQ (Advanced Words) https://youtu.be/mmX5_GKRrh0 (Quick Look) ■Top Page for Further Materials https://englist.me/ ■SNS (Please follow!)

Jared is a researcher at the Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence. Until the summer of 2023 he was a lecturer at the University of Washington School of Computer Science. While there he created a class on the philosophy of AI and created and taught an ethics course as well as teaching technical artificial intelligence courses. His satirical novel "The Strength of The Illusion" was published in the summer of 2023. Previous Sentientism guest Mark Solms called it "extraordinary". In Sentientist Conversations we talk about the two most important questions: “what's real?” & “who matters?” Sentientism is "evidence, reason & compassion for all sentient beings." The video of our conversation is ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here on YouTube⁠⁠. We discuss: 00:00 Clips! 00:56 Welcome 02:23 Jared Intro - AI research, teaching philosophy, AI ethics and AI tech - "What are the right things to do and how do we bring those things about" - "AI is a sandbox... to test out these ideas" - Jared's philosophical novel, "The Strength of the Illusion" "A timely meditation on what happens when artificial intelligence clashes with human stupidity" - "#philosophyofmind ... what it means to think, to learn..."   05:12 What's Real? - "I grew up with a father that derided religion" - A "very atheistic upbringing... in some parts I regret" vs. "more religious community centred upbringings" - Not convinced re: god or spirituality but "that's not to say that I want to discount the feelings of religious experiences" - William James - Irish grandmother "she hates the #catholic church with a passion" - Father is a doctor encountering lots of "anti-science" - Joining a gospel choir at University "I'm not religious but it's a really fun and enlivening way to approach life" - "It's not been my life to combat religion... the 'Four Horsemen'... Dan Dennett, Sam Harris..." - "I think there's value in being kind to each other when you talk about this [religion]" - "Few people are willing to actually debate the tenets of their beliefs... that's the tension between science and religion" - "The unwillingness, by design, to accept alternative hypotheses and test their views is what perpetuates religion" - Spirituality: "I haven't been drawn... it seems a bit like #mysterianism... an appeal to mystery before the facts are out." - "Could we not explain consciousness, morality... I think that we can eventually explain those things through rigourous science" - Rejections of the possibility of explaining consciousness: Searle's Chinese Room, Nagel's "What Is It Like To Be A Bat?"... "These appeals are in a sense spiritual... they're appealing to some sort of mystery" - "That explanation does not need to be a let down -just because we can explain the illusion doesn't mean that the illusion doesn't exist" - "There's a degree of bad blood"... history of scientists denying or avoiding or deriding things because the evidence isn't yet there to enable study (e.g. #behaviourists ignoring mental states) - "Scientists are imperfect and can be mean" - Do AIs have epistemology - JW: "are they learning, can they know things?" - #llms (large language models)  like OpenAI's #chatgpt "Do they understand language?" - "They... seem to be able to use language OK... they make errors but humans make errors too" 21:25 What & Who Matters? 44:24 Who Matters? 01:09:25 A Better Future? Follow Jared: - https://jaredmoore.org/ - https://twitter.com/jaredlcm - https://jaredmoore.org/the-strength-of-the-illusion ...and much more. Full show notes at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sentientism.info⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Sentientism is “Evidence, reason & compassion for all sentient beings.” More at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sentientism.info⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Join our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠"I'm a Sentientist" wall⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ via ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠this simple form⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Everyone, Sentientist or not, is welcome in our groups. The biggest so far is ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here on FaceBook⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Come join us there!

Counterfeit people, the seductively appealing Deep Fakes made possible by AI, are just the beginning of what the distinguished philosopher Dan Dennett says is a threat to humanity. This spring, he joined hundreds of other thought leaders in signing a starkly scary statement: AI threatens to make us extinct.

Taking care of some spring cleaning this week, but we're excited to resurface this conversation with Kristin Andrews and Susana Monsó. We'll be back with a fresh episode in two weeks. In the meanwhile, enjoy! - The Many Minds team --- Your friend is in a bit of distress. They've just been dunked in a pool, and they can't pull themselves out. You're looking on as they're paddling furiously, trying to hold onto the pool's ledge. Fortunately, there's a way to save your friend, to give them an escape route. The thing is, there's also something else vying for your attention at the moment: a chunk of chocolate. So what do you do? Do you first nab the chocolate and then free your friend? Turns out that most rats in this position—that's right, rats—will first free their friend and then go for the chocolate. This is one of many studies that have raised profound questions about whether animals are moral beings, about whether they are capable of things like care and empathy. Such studies are doing more than raising questions about animal morality, though; they're also reshaping our understanding of what animal minds are capable of. My guests today are not one but two philosophers: Dr. Kristin Andrews, Professor of Philosophy at York University in Toronto and Dr. Susana Monsó, Assistant Professor in the Department of Logic, History, and Philosophy of Science at UNED in Spain. Both Susana and Kristin have emerged as central figures in the new conversations and debates that springing about animal minds and animal morality. We cover a lot of ground in this episode. We talk about rats and empathy. We discuss the role of philosophy in the crossdisciplinary study of animal cognition. We talk about Kristin's most recent book, which is a critical consideration of how scientists are trained to study animals, and Susana's book, which is an extended investigation into animals' understandings of death. We zoom in on the “animal morality debate”—about whether animals should be considered moral beings. We consider how touch might inform the debate and social norms and morality are deeply enmeshed than you may realize. As we navigate these lofty ideas, we also touch on the use of thermography to study emotions in marmosets, planning in orangutans, tongue-biting in orcas, and playing dead in possums. This is basically a double episode. It features two amazing guests. It takes on two big topics—the study of animal minds in general and the animal morality debate in particular. It's also a tad longer than our usual fare, but I promised its packed with useful frameworks, provocative findings, and a bunch of open questions. I think it also picks up steam as we go—so be sure to stick with it, through to the second half. Alright folks, as always, thanks so much for listening. And be sure to send us your guest and topic ideas, your glowing reviews, and your crotchety comments. You can reach us on Twitter or by email at manymindspodcast@gmail.com. Now for my conversation with Dr. Susana Monsó and Dr. Kristin Andrews. Enjoy!   A transcript of this episode is available here.   Notes and links 5:00 – An essay by Dr. Andrews & Dr. Monsó in Aeon magazine, about how rats deserve ethical protections. 7:30 – A popular article about findings that vervet monkeys socially learn food preferences. The original research paper is here. 9:10 – A popular article on the findings that rats can learn to play hide-and-seek. 22:00 – Dr. Andrews' most recent book is How to Study Animal Minds. Her earlier book, The Animal Mind, is now out in a second edition. 24:00 – Morgan's Canon has been widely discussed and criticized in recent decades (see here, here, and here). 27:00 – A paper by Dr. Andrews on the role of folk psychology in animal cognition research. 33:00 – A paper by Dr. Andrews discussing the idea of “anthropectomy.” 34:00 – The paper by Dan Dennett that makes the distinction between “romantics” and “killjoys.” 35:20 – Dr. Monsó's recent book (in Spanish) translates as Schrödinger's Opossum. See also: her essay in Aeon about the phenomenon of “playing dead” and what it tells us about predator cognition; and her recent philosophical papers on the same topic (here, here). 49:30 – See the recent chapter by Dr. Monsó & Dr. Andrews on “animal moral psychologies.” See also a paper by Dr. Monsó and colleagues, ‘Animal morality: What it means and why it matters.' 51:30 – A classic article by Frans de Waal, ‘Putting the altruism back into altruism.' 53:40 – An “appreciation and update” to Tinbergen's four questions. 58:00 – For a review of some of the “rat empathy” studies, see the “animal moral psychologies” chapter by Dr. Monsó & Dr. Andrews. This line of work began with a paper by Bartal and colleagues in 2011. A skeptical take can be found here. 1:01 – A popular article on how chimpanzees pass the “marshmallow test.” 1:04:00 – A paper on (the apparent absence of) “third-party punishment” in chimpanzees. 1:06:00 – A recent paper using thermography to gauge whether marmosets understand each other's “conversations.” 1:08:00 – One of the now-famous “ape suit” studies by Chris Krupenye and colleagues. 1:11:30 – A recent paper by Dr. Andrews on the possibility of animal social norms. 1:17:00 – A recent paper by Dr. Monsó on “how the study of touch can inform the animal morality debate.” 1:21:00 – A recent paper by Filip Mattens on touch—and the “vigilance” function of touch in particular. 1:25:20 – A video of “eye-poking” in capuchins, which Susan Perry has studied. 1:28:00 – On the WEIRD issue, see our essay on first decade of the acronym.   Dr. Andrews recommends: The Routledge Handbook of the Philosophy of Animal Minds, edited by Dr. Andrews & Jacob Beck ‘Gricean communication, language development, and animal minds,' by Richard Moore Chimpanzee Memoirs, edited by Stephen Ross* & Lydia Hopper Dr. Monsó recommends: The Animal Cognition entry in the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy The Mind of a Bee, Lars Chittka (forthcoming) An Immense World, Ed Yong (forthcoming) You can read more about Dr. Andrews' work at her website and follow her on Twitter. You can read more about Dr. Monsó's work at her website and follow her on Twitter. * Sadly, shortly after this episode was recorded, Stephen Ross died unexpectedly. Read an obituary here.   Many Minds is a project of the Diverse Intelligences Summer Institute, which is made possible by a generous grant from the Templeton World Charity Foundation to UCLA. It is hosted and produced by Kensy Cooperrider, with help from Assistant Producer Urte Laukaityte and with creative support from DISI Directors Erica Cartmill and Jacob Foster. Our artwork is by Ben Oldroyd. Our transcripts are created by Sarah Dopierala. You can subscribe to Many Minds on Apple, Stitcher, Spotify, Pocket Casts, Google Play, or wherever you like to listen to podcasts.  **You can now subscribe to the Many Minds newsletter here!** We welcome your comments, questions, and suggestions. Feel free to email us at: manymindspodcast@gmail.com.  For updates about the show, visit our website (https://disi.org/manyminds/), or follow us on Twitter: @ManyMindsPod.

This podcast is a commentary and does not contain any copyrighted material of the reference source. We strongly recommend accessing/buying the reference source at the same time. ■Reference Source https://www.ted.com/talks/dan_dennett_let_s_teach_religion_all_religion_in_schools ■Post on this topic (You can get FREE learning materials!) https://englist.me/254-academic-words-reference-from-dan-dennett-lets-teach-religion----all-religion----in-schools--ted-talk/ ■Youtube Video https://youtu.be/_CldazbSEO8 (All Words) https://youtu.be/la7DuDlDcVc (Advanced Words) https://youtu.be/mCaiKt1BJqY (Quick Look) ■Top Page for Further Materials https://englist.me/ ■SNS (Please follow!)

In this episode, we examine Human Consciousness and AI, and particularly the popular idea that AI will become conscious at some point.  Because conscious brains are the product of enormous periods of evolution and environmental conditions that keep changing in basic ways, the popular idea that machine consciousness is just around the corner is questioned by Bernard Baars. But very important ethical and practical questions are already emerging today.  Social media has trouble distinguishing between human messages and bots, and we are already seeing AI being used in armed drones in a major European war in the Ukraine. All kinds of important ethical and practical questions are already facing the world. In some ways, this is like the early days of nuclear weapons - people around the world are wondering what the new technologies will bring. What does the future hold? AI technology is developing faster than most of us expected. The worldwide web has triggered a great information explosion that continues in wave after wave. Historically, information explosions are often very disruptive, as in the rise of the printing press, of radio and television, and now the spread of intelligent computers. Human beings need time to adjust to fast changes. So today, we will discuss the future of Artificial Intelligence in relation to human consciousness, including major ethical questions raised by philosophers and others. We also discuss some of the latest promising, and positive, scientific advances in AI.  Our special guest is Dr. Susan Schneider, Founding Director of the Center for the Future Mind at Florida Atlantic University, where she also holds the William F. Dietrich Distinguished Professorship. She is co-director of the MPCR Lab at FAU's new Gruber Sandbox, a large facility which builds AI systems drawing from neuroscience research and philosophical developments. Susan recently completed a three year project with NASA on the future of intelligence. She now works with the United States Congress on AI policy. Susan is also an author, and her current book “Artificial You'' discusses the philosophical implications of AI, and, in particular, the enterprise of “mind design.” Also joining us today is postdoctoral fellow Rachel St. Clair, the founder and CEO of Simuli Inc., whose passion and goal is to help build beneficial AGI.   Talking Points 0:00 - Intro 3:07 - How Our Understanding of AI is Changing Rapidly 10:47 - Urgent Ethical Questions about AI-controlled Weapons 16:20 - Dan Dennett's Position on Treating Humanoid AI as Counterfeits 19:50 -  Can Computers Emulate Biological Brains? 30:58 - Science and Philosophy Use the Same Words with Very Different Meanings. 36:23 - Scientifically, the Cortex is the Organ of Consciousness. 46:34 - Is Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) possible? How Do We Build AGI Safely? 52:44 - Does "Conscious" AGI Need a Global Workspace Architecture? 01:03:53 - Beyond Mind-Body Debates 01:13:38 - Advances in Artificial Intelligence 01:19:42 - Some Risks of Augmenting Human Abilities 01:23:20 -  Thought Manipulation, Invasive Surveillance and Mass Deception 01:27:10 - Closing Statements  Links — Website and Social Media — Website: https://bernardbaars.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/BernardJBaars Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BernardJBaars/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bernardjbaars/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BernardBaarsOnConsciousness Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/baarslab/?hl=en   — Susan Schneider — Personal: https://schneiderwebsite.com/index.html Center for the Future Mind: https://www.fau.edu/future-mind/ Susan's Latest Book "Artificial You": https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691180144/artificial-you Florida Atlantic University Profile: https://www.fau.edu/artsandletters/philosophy/susan-schneider/index/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/drsueschneider Center for the Future Mind Twitter: https://twitter.com/CenFutureMind   — Rachel St. Clair — LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachelaileenstclair/ Rachel's Startup Simuli, Inc.: https://www.simuli.ai/ MPCR Lab Profile: https://mpcrlab.com/people/Rachel-St-Clair/    

Is there a tension between biology and philosophy? Why should Homo sapiens care about ethics? What, if anything, does evolution tell us about human nature? To discuss these topics, Philip Kitcher joins your host, Ilari Mäkelä. Philip Kitcher is an emeritus professor of philosophy at Columbia University. He is the author of numerous books, such as Living With Darwin and The Ethical Project. Ilari and professor Kitcher discuss topics such as: 01.35: Kitcher's theory of morality as a social technology designed to solve problems resulting from the fragility of human altruism. 20.07: What is Kitcher's argument against sociobiology / evolutionary psychology? Is it still relevant? Does evolution prove that we are all selfish? 42.43: What is secular humanism? What is the value of religion? What can secular humanists learn from religion? Names mentioned David Hume, Adam Smith, Thomas Hobbes Amia Srinivasan (contemporary Oxford philosopher, see her review of Ethical Project in LRB) Bertrand Williams (late Cambridge philosopher) Stephen Jay Gould (late Harvard palaeontologist) Richard Lewontin (late Harvard biologist) E. O. Wilson (late Harvard biologist) David P. Barash (contemporary evolutionary biologist) Richard Alexander (contemporary evolutionary anthropologist) John Bowlby (late psychologist and founder of the attachment theory) Johanna Haarer (Nazi propagandist) Michael Ghiselin (evolutionary biologist, famous for the quote: “scratch an altruist and watch a hypocrite bleed”) Dan Dennett (contemporary philosopher and atheist, interviewed by Sean Carroll) Immanuel Kant (referenced from his thesis about the primacy of ethics over religion) Robert Frost (poet) Richard Dawkins (contemporary biologist and atheist) Sam Harris (contemporary writer, atheist, and podcaster) Christopher Hitchens (late journalist and atheist) Terms mentioned Consequentialism Homo querens Other work cited Siberian silver fox -experiment Other scholars to follow (Kitcher's recommendation) Kwame Anthony Appiah Nancy Cartwright Martha Nussbaum Elizabeth Anderson Susan Neiman

Welcome to The Nonlinear Library, where we use Text-to-Speech software to convert the best writing from the Rationalist and EA communities into audio. This is: Gradations of Agency, published by Daniel Kokotajlo on May 23, 2022 on The AI Alignment Forum. [Epistemic status: This post written hastily, for Blog Post Day.] I've de-prioritised this sequence due to other recent posts which cover a lot of the same ground. Moreover I begin to suspect that the theory of agency I'm building is merely the glowing brain and that Yudkowsky-Veedrac's is the cosmic galaxy brain. Perhaps mine can be a useful stepping-stone. Consider the messy and large real world, with creatures reproducing, competing, and evolving. The behavior of each entity is controlled by some sort of cognition/computation—some sort of algorithm. Inspired by something Dan Dennett wrote (h/t Ramana Kumar), I propose the following loose hierarchy of algorithm families. As we move up the hierarchy, things get more complicated and computationally expensive, but also more powerful and general. Level 1: Do what worked in the past for your ancestors. You have some “input channel” or “senses” and then you respond to it somehow, doing different things in response to different inputs. Example: You swim towards warmth and away from cold and hot. You run from red things and towards green things. This is more complex and computationally expensive, but (if done right) more powerful and general than algorithms which aren't environment-responsive: There are many situations, many niches in the environment, where being able to sense and adapt quickly helps you survive and thrive. Level 2: Do what worked in the past for you. How you respond to inputs is itself responsive to inputs; you learn over the course of your life. This typically involves some sort of memory and a special input channel for positive and negative reward. Example: You start off reacting randomly to inputs, but you learn to run from red things and towards green things because when you ran towards red things you got negative reward and when you ran towards green things you got positive reward. This is more complex and computationally expensive, but (if done right) more powerful and general: For a particular ecological niche, you & your relatives will reproduce and fill the niche more quickly than rivals from Level 1. This is because your rivals in some sense keep doing the same thing until they die, and will thus only “learn” to exploit the niche by gradual natural selection. Whereas you & your kind can be dropped straight into the niche and learn to Also, there are some niches that Level 1 creatures simply cannot survive in, that you can. Example: In Pond X, the color of food and the color of predators constantly changes on timescales of about a lifetime, too fast for a population of Level 1 creatures to adapt. Level 3: Do what worked in the past for things similar to you in similar situations. You have some ability to judge similarity, and in particular to notice and remember when your current situation is similar to the situation of something else you saw, something you classify as similar to you. Armed with this ability you can learn not just from your own experience, but from the experience of others—you can identify successful others and imitate them. This is more complex and computationally expensive, but (if done right) more powerful and general: For a particular ecological niche, you & your relatives will reproduce and fill the niche more quickly than rivals from level 2. This is because you can learn from the experiences of others while level 2 creatures have to experience things themselves. Also, there are some niches that level 2 creatures simply cannot survive in, that you can. For example, niches in which certain behaviors in certain situations are deadly. Level 4: Do what worked in your head when you imagined various plans. Whereas with Level 3 you processed your memories into the sort of world-model tha...

Your friend is in a bit of distress. They've just been dunked in a pool, and they can't pull themselves out. You're looking on as they're paddling furiously, trying to hold onto the pool's ledge. Fortunately, there's a way to save your friend, to give them an escape route. The thing is, there's also something else vying for your attention at the moment: a chunk of chocolate. So what do you do? Do you first nab the chocolate and then free your friend? Turns out that most rats in this position—that's right, rats—will first free their friend and then go for the chocolate. This is one of many studies that have raised profound questions about whether animals are moral beings, about whether they are capable of things like care and empathy. Such studies are doing more than raising questions about animal morality, though; they're also reshaping our understanding of what animal minds are capable of. My guests today are not one but two philosophers: Dr. Kristin Andrews, Professor of Philosophy at York University in Toronto and Dr. Susana Monsó, Assistant Professor in the Department of Logic, History, and Philosophy of Science at UNED in Spain. Both Susana and Kristin have emerged as central figures in the new conversations and debates that springing about animal minds and animal morality. We cover a lot of ground in this episode. We talk about rats and empathy. We discuss the role of philosophy in the crossdisciplinary study of animal cognition. We talk about Kristin's most recent book, which is a critical consideration of how scientists are trained to study animals, and Susana's book, which is an extended investigation into animals' understandings of death. We zoom in on the “animal morality debate”—about whether animals should be considered moral beings. We consider how touch might inform the debate and social norms and morality are deeply enmeshed than you may realize. As we navigate these lofty ideas, we also touch on the use of thermography to study emotions in marmosets, planning in orangutans, tongue-biting in orcas, and playing dead in possums. This is basically a double episode. It features two amazing guests. It takes on two big topics—the study of animal minds in general and the animal morality debate in particular. It's also a tad longer than our usual fare, but I promised its packed with useful frameworks, provocative findings, and a bunch of open questions. I think it also picks up steam as we go—so be sure to stick with it, through to the second half. Alright folks, as always, thanks so much for listening. And be sure to send us your guest and topic ideas, your glowing reviews, and your crotchety comments. You can reach us on Twitter or by email at manymindspodcast@gmail.com. Now for my conversation with Dr. Susana Monsó and Dr. Kristin Andrews. Enjoy!   A transcript of this episode will be available soon.   Notes and links 5:00 – An essay by Dr. Andrews & Dr. Monsó in Aeon magazine, about how rats deserve ethical protections. 7:30 – A popular article about findings that vervet monkeys socially learn food preferences. The original research paper is here. 9:10 – A popular article on the findings that rats can learn to play hide-and-seek. 22:00 – Dr. Andrews' most recent book is How to Study Animal Minds. Her earlier book, The Animal Mind, is now out in a second edition. 24:00 – Morgan's Canon has been widely discussed and criticized in recent decades (see here, here, and here). 27:00 – A paper by Dr. Andrews on the role of folk psychology in animal cognition research. 33:00 – A paper by Dr. Andrews discussing the idea of “anthropectomy.” 34:00 – The paper by Dan Dennett that makes the distinction between “romantics” and “killjoys.” 35:20 – Dr. Monsó's recent book (in Spanish) translates as Schrödinger's Opossum. See also: her essay in Aeon about the phenomenon of “playing dead” and what it tells us about predator cognition; and her recent philosophical papers on the same topic (here, here). 49:30 – See the recent chapter by Dr. Monsó & Dr. Andrews on “animal moral psychologies.” See also a paper by Dr. Monsó and colleagues, ‘Animal morality: What it means and why it matters.' 51:30 – A classic article by Frans de Waal, ‘Putting the altruism back into altruism.' 53:40 – An “appreciation and update” to Tinbergen's four questions. 58:00 – For a review of some of the “rat empathy” studies, see the “animal moral psychologies” chapter by Dr. Monsó & Dr. Andrews. This line of work began with a paper by Bartal and colleagues in 2011. A skeptical take can be found here. 1:01 – A popular article on how chimpanzees pass the “marshmallow test.” 1:04:00 – A paper on (the apparent absence of) “third-party punishment” in chimpanzees. 1:06:00 – A recent paper using thermography to gauge whether marmosets understand each other's “conversations.” 1:08:00 – One of the now-famous “ape suit” studies by Chris Krupenye and colleagues. 1:11:30 – A recent paper by Dr. Andrews on the possibility of animal social norms. 1:17:00 – A recent paper by Dr. Monsó on “how the study of touch can inform the animal morality debate.” 1:21:00 – A recent paper by Filip Mattens on touch—and the “vigilance” function of touch in particular. 1:25:20 – A video of “eye-poking” in capuchins, which Susan Perry has studied. 1:28:00 – On the WEIRD issue, see our essay on first decade of the acronym.   Dr. Andrews recommends: The Routledge Handbook of the Philosophy of Animal Minds, edited by Dr. Andrews & Jacob Beck ‘Gricean communication, language development, and animal minds,' by Richard Moore Chimpanzee Memoirs, edited by Stephen Ross* & Lydia Hopper Dr. Monsó recommends: The Animal Cognition entry in the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy The Mind of a Bee, Lars Chittka (forthcoming) An Immense World, Ed Yong (forthcoming) You can read more about Dr. Andrews' work at her website and follow her on Twitter. You can read more about Dr. Monsó's work at her website and follow her on Twitter. * Sadly, shortly after this episode was recorded, Stephen Ross died unexpectedly. Read an obituary here.   Many Minds is a project of the Diverse Intelligences Summer Institute (DISI) (https://disi.org), which is made possible by a generous grant from the Templeton World Charity Foundation to UCLA. It is hosted and produced by Kensy Cooperrider, with help from assistant producer Cecilia Padilla. Creative support is provided by DISI Directors Erica Cartmill and Jacob Foster. Our artwork is by Ben Oldroyd (https://www.mayhilldesigns.co.uk/). Our transcripts are created by Sarah Dopierala (https://sarahdopierala.wordpress.com/). You can subscribe to Many Minds on Apple, Stitcher, Spotify, Pocket Casts, Google Play, or wherever you like to listen to podcasts. We welcome your comments, questions, and suggestions. Feel free to email us at: manymindspodcast@gmail.com. For updates about the show, visit our website (https://disi.org/manyminds/), or follow us on Twitter: @ManyMindsPod.

YouTube link: https://youtu.be/qj_YUxg-qtY Sponsors: https://brilliant.org/TOE for 20% off. For Algo's podcast https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9IfRw1QaTglRoX0sN11AQQ and website https://www.algo.com/.  Merch (until end of Oct 2021): https://tinyurl.com/TOEmerch Patreon: https://patreon.com/curtjaimungal Crypto: 3CSm4FH6975J8wvKp8x8BSefH6QCVuk736 PayPal: https://tinyurl.com/paypalTOE Twitter: https://twitter.com/TOEwithCurt Discord Invite: https://discord.com/invite/kBcnfNVwqs iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/better-left-unsaid-with-curt-jaimungal/id1521758802 Pandora: https://pdora.co/33b9lfP Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4gL14b92xAErofYQA7bU4e Subreddit r/TheoriesOfEverything: https://reddit.com/r/theoriesofeverything LINKS MENTIONED: -Sabine Hossenfelder's video on Superdeterminism: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytyjgIyegDI TIMESTAMPS: 00:00:00 Introduction 00:05:41 Explaining the No Free Lunch theorem 00:08:42 Mathematical proof isn't iron clad (an extremely controversial statement!) 00:18:38 Bayesian reasoning isn't iron clad either 00:24:23 What do the No Free Lunch theorems mean?  00:32:15 "The Problem" (TP) and regret about one's past / Nihilism in NFL 00:40:01 There's no "meaning" in the temporary nature of life 00:44:07 No Free Lunch helps appreciation of Zen Buddhism 00:45:50 Artist or Mathematician? (art helps math, and vice versa) 00:48:54 NFL and Zen (continuation) 00:51:38 For intellectuals, atheism is easier than not being an atheist 00:57:30 On Sabine Hossenfelder's excellent video about Superdeterminism 00:59:23 What free will is, and what it is NOT 01:02:23 Excoriations on Dan Dennett's and Stephen Wolfram's idea of "free will" 01:12:46 Does science make metaphysical claims or is it instrumental? 01:21:12 Map vs Territory doesn't apply to the Mathematical Universe 01:35:05 What if physics supervenes on free will? 01:39:36 Explaining The Mathematical Universe 01:43:09 Preview of Part 2 with David Wolpert 01:46:06 The philosophy of mathematics and the foundations of reality are important 01:47:45 Why science shouldn't work / cross validation (thumbnail reference) * * * Just wrapped (April 2021) a documentary called Better Left Unsaid http://betterleftunsaidfilm.com on the topic of "when does the left go too far?" Visit that site if you'd like to watch it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Where does cultural innovation come from? Histories often simplify the complex, shared work of creation into tales of Great Men and their visionary genius — but ideas have precedents, and moments, and it takes two different kinds of person to have and to hype them. The popularity of “influencers” past and present obscures the collaborative social processes by which ideas are born and spread. What can new tools for the study of historical literature tell us about how languages evolve…and what might a formal understanding of innovation change about the ways we work together?Welcome to COMPLEXITY, the official podcast of the Santa Fe Institute. I'm your host, Michael Garfield, and every other week we'll bring you with us for far-ranging conversations with our worldwide network of rigorous researchers developing new frameworks to explain the deepest mysteries of the universe.This week we talk conclude our two-part conversation with Emory University researcher Lauren Klein, co-author (with Catherine D'Ignazio) of the MIT Press volume Data Feminism. We talk tracing change in language use with topic modeling, the role of randomness in Data Feminism, and what this work ultimately does and does not say about the hidden seams of power in society…Subscribe to Complexity wherever you listen to podcasts — and if you value our work, please rate and review us at Apple Podcasts and/or consider making a donation at santafe.edu/give.You can find numerous other ways to engage with us — including books, job openings, and open online courses — at santafe.edu/engage.Thank you for listening!Join our Facebook discussion group to meet like minds and talk about each episode.Podcast theme music by Mitch Mignano.Follow us on social media:Twitter • YouTube • Facebook • Instagram • LinkedInRelated Reading & Listening:Data Feminism by Catherine D'Ignazio & Lauren Klein“Dimensions of Scale: Invisible Labor, Editorial Work, and the Future of Quantitative Literary Studies” by Lauren Klein“Abolitionist Networks: Modeling Language Change in Nineteenth-Century Activist Newspapers” by Sandeep Soni, Lauren Klein, Jacob EisensteinOur Twitter thread on Lauren's SFI Seminar (with video link)“Disentangling ecological and taphonomic signals in ancient food webs” by Jack O Shaw, Emily Coco, Kate Wootton, Dries Daems, Andrew Gillreath-Brown, Anshuman Swain, Jennifer A DunneMore resources in the show notes for Part 1: Surfacing Invisible Labor.

When British scientist and novelist C.P. Snow described the sciences and humanities as “two cultures” in 1959, it wasn't a statement of what could or should be, but a lament over the sorry state of western society's fractured intellectual life. Over sixty years later the costs of this fragmentation are even more pronounced and dangerous. But advances in computing now make it possible for historians and engineers to speak in one another's languages, catalyzing novel insights in each other's home domains. And doing so, the academics working at these intersections have illuminated hidden veins in history: the unsung influence and cultural significance of those who didn't write the victors' stories. Their lives and work come into focus when we view them with the aid of analytic tools, which change our understanding of the stories we've inherited and the shape of power in our institutions. One strain of the digital humanities called data feminism helps bring much-needed rigor to textual study at the same time it reintroduces something crucial to a deeper reconciliation of the disciplines: a human “who” and “how” to complement the “what” we have inherited as fact.Welcome to COMPLEXITY, the official podcast of the Santa Fe Institute. I'm your host, Michael Garfield, and every other week we'll bring you with us for far-ranging conversations with our worldwide network of rigorous researchers developing new frameworks to explain the deepest mysteries of the universe.This week we talk to Emory University researcher Lauren Klein, co-author (with Catherine D'Ignazio) of the MIT Press volume Data Feminism. In Part 1 of a two-part conversation, we discuss how her work leverages the new toolkit of quantitative literary studies and transforms our understanding of historical dynamics — not just in the past, but those in action as we speak…For Part 2 in two weeks, subscribe to Complexity wherever you listen to podcasts — and if you if you value our research and communication efforts, please rate and review us at Apple Podcasts and/or consider making a donation at santafe.edu/give.You can find numerous other ways to engage with us — including job openings and open online courses — at santafe.edu/engage.Thank you for listening!Join our Facebook discussion group to meet like minds and talk about each episode.Podcast theme music by Mitch Mignano.Follow us on social media:Twitter • YouTube • Facebook • Instagram • LinkedIn Related Reading & Listening:Data Feminism by Catherine D'Ignazio & Lauren Klein“Dimensions of Scale: Invisible Labor, Editorial Work, and the Future of Quantitative Literary Studies” by Lauren KleinOur Twitter thread on Lauren's SFI Seminar (with video link)Cognition all the way down by Michael Levin & Daniel DennettComplexity 34 - Better Scientific Modeling for Ecological & Social JusticeComplexity 42 - Carl Bergstrom and Jevin West on Calling Bullshit: The Art of Skepticism in a Data-Driven WorldComplexity 45 - David Wolpert on the No Free Lunch Theorems and Why They Undermine The Scientific MethodComplexity 64 - Reconstructing Ancient Superhighways with Stefani Crabtree & Devin White Mentions Include:Ruha Benjamin, Joy Buolamwini, Julia Lefkowitz, Ted Underwood, Derrick Spires, David Wolpert, Farita Tasnim, Stefani Crabtree, Devin White, Donna Haraway, Carl Bergstrom, Joe Bak-Coleman, Michael Levin, Dan Dennett

Wat is die verskil tussen om net 'n brein met insette en uitsette te wees en om diep ervarings te voel? Hoe word ons realiteit gevorm deur 'n brein wat in 'n donker gat sit met 'n paar drade na buitentoe? En.... so wat dan as ons die antwoorde het? Annaka Harris oor bewussyn. Donald Hoffman oor realiteit en korter weergawe. Dan Dennett video. ...en debunking van Rudolph se chilli storie hier.

In this episode, I speak with Gregg Caruso about this recent book, Just Deserts, co-authored with Dan Dennett. We discuss his claims about rejecting deep moral responsibility while still preserving many distinctions that compatibilists like Dan find important. We also dive into the divide between he (and myself) and Dennett. Here's any links you'll need to dive deeper: http://www.greggcaruso.com/ https://debatingfreewill.com/ https://www.amazon.com/Rejecting-Retributivism-Punishment-Criminal-Cognitive/dp/1108484700/ref=sr114?dchild=1&keywords=Gregg+Caruso&qid=1601484552&s=books&sr=1-14 If you learned something from this episode, please consider supporting me here: https://www.patreon.com/jordanmyers Every dollar that comes in will go towards bettering the show or towards funding my Philosophy PhD. Twitter: @JordanCMyers You can also get in contact by emailing me at platoscavepodcast@gmail.com Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCD1RiH1j-M6C59z1upPXkWw?disable_polymer=true Plato's Cave Website: https://platoscave.fireside.fm/ Special Guest: Gregg D. Caruso.

What is agency? How does it evolve? Do non-living things have agency? On this episode of Big Biology, we talk with Tufts University professor Michael Levin about his recent article in Aeon magazine called ‘Cognition all the way down'. In it, Mike and Dan Dennett discuss the phenomenon of agency and what it means for biology, basic to medical. We discuss with Mike what it means to be an agent - whether you're a metabolite, a cell, or a human - and how agency affects and is affected by evolution. We discuss how agents at different levels of organization influence each other, how agency research could change our thinking about the ethics of artificial intelligence, and how the internet has expanded collective human agency by broadening our cognitive horizons. If you missed our first chat with Mike on the role of bioelectric fields in development, tissue regeneration, and evolution, check that out here. Photo: Douglas Blackiston and Sam Kriegman --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/bigbiology/message

This episode is also available as a blog post: http://kingdablog.com/2018/12/09/jordan-peterson-dan-dennett-and-the-banshee/

In this episode we talk with Gregg Caruso about free will skepticism, the view that we lack the freedom (or control) required for moral responsibility in the basic desert sense.Gregg's website:http://www.greggcaruso.com/Gregg's forthcoming book:https://www.cambridge.org/us/academic/subjects/law/criminal-law/rejecting-retributivism-free-will-punishment-and-criminal-justice?format=HBGregg's new book co-written with Dan Dennett:https://politybooks.com/bookdetail/?isbn=9781509545759 Gregg's Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy article:https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/skepticism-moral-responsibility/If you have a question you'd like us to answer in our Q&A episode, get in touch with us at thefreewillshow@gmail.com, via the show's website: thefreewillshow.com, or through social media:Twitter: https://twitter.com/thefreewillshowInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefreewillshow/?hl=enFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Free-Will-Show-105535031200408/

For Niceness to triumph within the Heart of Darkness that is the internet, we gotta make an effort. The Evolution of Trust A Briefer History of Time Unweaving the Rainbow Key and Peele communicating via text Dan Dennett on Rappaport’s … Continue reading →

John and Seamus look at Dan Dennett's arguments for Free Will and how some atheist view Dennett's claims in a dogmatic fashion.

We discuss a few more common objections to panpsychism, including Dan Dennett’s pan-nifty-ism, mysterianism, the woo accusation, and appeals to neuroscience. Get early access to episodes and access to premium episodes at https://www.patreon.com/waldenpod

Diego Caleiro is a Biological Anthropologist based in Berkeley, interested in Altruism, Cooperation, Primatology, Evolutionary Psychology, Neuroscience, Behavioral Genomics, Human Behavioral Ecology and similar ways of looking at the world through Darwinian lenses. His intellectual idols are Nick Bostrom, Robert Trivers, Terrence Deacon, Dan Dennett, David Buss and Robert Sapolsky. https://diegocaleiro.com YouTube ► http://bit.ly/DiegoCYT ******* Simulation is rebirthing the public intellectual by hosting the greatest multidisciplinary minds of our time. Build the future. Architect the frameworks and resource flows to maximize human potential. http://simulationseries.com ******* SUBSCRIBE TO SIMULATION ► YOUTUBE: http://bit.ly/SimYoTu ITUNES: http://bit.ly/SimulationiTunes INSTAGRAM: http://bit.ly/SimulationIG TWITTER: http://bit.ly/SimulationTwitter ******* FACEBOOK: http://bit.ly/SimulationFB SOUNDCLOUD: http://bit.ly/SimulationSC LINKEDIN: http://bit.ly/SimulationLinkedIn PATREON: http://bit.ly/SimulationPatreon CRYPTO: http://bit.ly/SimCrypto ******* NUANCE-DRIVEN DISCOURSE ► http://bit.ly/SimulationTG WATCH ALLEN'S TEDx TALK ► http://bit.ly/AllenTEDx FOLLOW ALLEN ► INSTAGRAM: http://bit.ly/AllenIG TWITTER: http://bit.ly/AllenT ******* LIST OF THOUGHT-PROVOKING QUESTIONS ► http://simulationseries.com/the-list GET IN TOUCH ► simulationseries@gmail.com

In this episode, I have a conversation with Jason Crowder. Jason describes himself as "an academic, an author, a Christian Hedonist, a husband, a mentor, a philosopher, a philosophical theologian, and a theologian." He is the author of Philosophy, Who Needs It? In this interview, we discuss the role of philosophy for the Christian. Despite what some people fear, philosophy is our friend and not our enemy. I think you will enjoy our discussion. My recommend audiobook is: Where the Conflict Really Lies by Alvin Plantinga This audiobook is a long-awaited major statement by a pre-eminent analytic philosopher, Alvin Plantinga, on one of our biggest debates - the compatibility of science and religion. The last twenty years has seen a cottage industry of books on this divide, but with little consensus emerging. Plantinga, as a top philosopher but also a proponent of the rationality of religious belief, has a unique contribution to make. His theme in this short book is that the conflict between science and theistic religion is actually superficial, and that at a deeper level they are in concord. Plantinga examines where this conflict is supposed to exist - evolution, evolutionary psychology, analysis of scripture, scientific study of religion -- as well as claims by Dan Dennett, Richard Dawkins, and Philip Kitcher that evolution and theistic belief cannot co-exist. Plantinga makes a case that their arguments are not only inconclusive but that the supposed conflicts themselves are superficial, due to the methodological naturalism used by science. On the other hand, science can actually offer support to theistic doctrines, and Plantinga uses the notion of biological and cosmological "fine-tuning" in support of this idea. Plantinga argues that we might think about arguments in science and religion in a new way - as different forms of discourse that try to persuade people to look at questions from a perspective such that they can see that something is true. In this way, there is a deep and massive consonance between theism and the scientific enterprise. Download this audiobook for FREE with your FREE trial of Audible.

In this episode, I have a conversation with Jason Crowder. Jason describes himself as "an academic, an author, a Christian Hedonist, a husband, a mentor, a philosopher, a philosophical theologian, and a theologian." He is the author of Philosophy, Who Needs It? In this interview, we discuss the role of philosophy for the Christian. Despite what some people fear, philosophy is our friend and not our enemy. I think you will enjoy our discussion. My recommend audiobook is: Where the Conflict Really Lies by Alvin Plantinga This audiobook is a long-awaited major statement by a pre-eminent analytic philosopher, Alvin Plantinga, on one of our biggest debates - the compatibility of science and religion. The last twenty years has seen a cottage industry of books on this divide, but with little consensus emerging. Plantinga, as a top philosopher but also a proponent of the rationality of religious belief, has a unique contribution to make. His theme in this short book is that the conflict between science and theistic religion is actually superficial, and that at a deeper level they are in concord. Plantinga examines where this conflict is supposed to exist - evolution, evolutionary psychology, analysis of scripture, scientific study of religion -- as well as claims by Dan Dennett, Richard Dawkins, and Philip Kitcher that evolution and theistic belief cannot co-exist. Plantinga makes a case that their arguments are not only inconclusive but that the supposed conflicts themselves are superficial, due to the methodological naturalism used by science. On the other hand, science can actually offer support to theistic doctrines, and Plantinga uses the notion of biological and cosmological "fine-tuning" in support of this idea. Plantinga argues that we might think about arguments in science and religion in a new way - as different forms of discourse that try to persuade people to look at questions from a perspective such that they can see that something is true. In this way, there is a deep and massive consonance between theism and the scientific enterprise. Download this audiobook for FREE with your FREE trial of Audible.

Interview with David Rose, who has been performing comedy for 6 years, including writing for Cracked magazine. David is co-producing a MICF show in 2018 called Just Kidding. Check it out at Tasma Terrace from 27th March to 1st April at 5.30pm. David is also hosting a gig on 22nd February at the McKinnon Hotel with a great line up, go to www.ticklepit.com for tickets. We discuss: Anxiety, depression and hypochondria, learning mindfulness from a Liverpudlian Monk, Smiling Mind, Oak and Calm apps, Mindful vs Mindless Colouring, anxiety about being judged by other Comedians, the birthday present that may possibly outlast his relationship, visiting Little India and gigging in Singapore, David’s comedy tour of Germany, Bo Burnham’s take on happiness, misdirection and synesthesia with emotions, Dan Dennett’s concept of “Deepity”, Waking Up (book and podcast) by Sam Harris, and David’s super power.

On Episode 26, Nick chats with Tony Chemero, Professor of Philosophy and Psychology at the University of Cincinnati and author of the book, 'Radical Embodied Cognitive Science,' about taking trips to the East Village as a kid to see punk rock shows, early interactions with Dan Dennett and Newton scholar George Smith, hanging out with computer scientists and psychologists during graduate study at Indiana, the stresses of serving on a college tenure committee, how to do cognitive science without invoking mental representations, why we should avoid making pronouncements of "how science works," and his upcoming book on interaction-dominant systems in social cognition. Timestamps: 0:15 - Hello and welcome 01:36 - Tony

Today's episode is brought to you by hellofresh.com!! Click the link and make sure to enter promo code seriouspod for $35 off your first delivery! Today I have philosopher Aaron on to discuss free will. I've been wanting to revisit the topic for quite a while now, ever since the debate between Sam Harris and Dan Dennett that I covered in detail at the time. Today's show is exploring an anti-compatibilist position, and I'm hoping a future show will explore the compatibilist one! (if you're a philosopher who believes free will exists, please contact us using the links below to potentially be on a future episode!) Aaron attempts to define free will in the way most amenable to compatibilist arguments, yet still believes he has good reason to doubt free will! Listen and see if you agree! If you like Aaron, make sure to check out his book here! Leave us a Voicemail: (916) 750-4746! Support us on Patreon at:  patreon.com/seriouspod Follow us on Twitter: @seriouspod Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/seriouspod For comments, email thomas@seriouspod.com Questions, Suggestions, Episode ideas? email: haeley@seriouspod.com    

Author & Philosopher Dan Dennett joins us to talk about Free Will & Sam Harris, James Lindsay discusses his new book "Everybody is Wrong About God," David, Alix, & Brandy recap the final presidential debate, and Larry Decker gives a political update from the Secular Coalition for America.

We have the good fortune of talking with the writer and director of a new documentary called “A Better Life: An Exploration of Joy and Meaning in a World Without God,” Chris Johnson.  You may have seen a screening of it at the Reason Reason Rally. Chris Johnson is a New York-based photographer and filmmaker. He received his undergraduate degree in film production (along with a minor in religious studies) from Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec. His photography has been seen in various outlets, including The New York Times. He is the author of the coffee table photography book, “A Better Life: 100 Atheists Speak Out on Joy & Meaning in a World without God” that later was made into this documentary. Chris has traveled the world with A Better Life, and continues to do so, speaking and screening the film in over 60 cities on four continents. For the book, Johnson interviewed many prominent atheist figures such as Richard Dawkins, Steven Pinker, Dan Dennett, Derren Brown, Pat Churchland, Julia Sweeney, David Silverman, Penn & Teller, to name a few, plus many every-day people. He has given talks on atheism and his work at conferences, universities, non-profit organizations, and community groups. In addition, he has also been a guest on numerous podcasts, radio and TV shows around the globe. Chris is the recipient of the Kodak Award for Excellence in Filmmaking as well as the B.F. Lorenzetti Scholarship for Excellence in Filmmaking. Additionally, Chris sits on the Secular Board of Advisors, as well as the board of Openly Secular. And he’s 8 episodes into his own podcast, A Better Life, and it’s really good. Chris is truly a professional. For more information on Chris’s work and how you can purchase or rent your own copy of the documentary , visit: www.theatheistbook.com We taped these conversations on August 27th, 2016. If you’re liking our show, please subscribe to it, give it 5 stars, and/or leave a review on iTunes, Stitcher, or wherever you listen to podcasts.  Also, you can support us monetarily on a per episode basis through our Patreon page. That’s www.patreon.com/eapodcast. Or leave a donation through PayPal at our website, www.everyonesagnostic.com. Credits: "Towering Mountain of Ignorance" intro by Hank Green https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3v3S82TuxU Intro bumper "Never Know" by Jack Johnson The segue music is by Sam Maher recorded on a handpan in the NY subway. Thanks for listening and be a yes-sayer to what is. You can find more information on the book/film/podcast/tour at: www.theatheistbook.com You can support the tour/podcast here: https://www.patreon.com/theatheistbook Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vEJXD6r9d78 Who's in the film? The film version of A Better Life features a selection of those from the book — atheists from around the world from many different backgrounds and professions. They include best-selling authors, award winning artists and scientists, and many well-known public personalities and figures including: A.C. Grayling, Philosopher, author and Master of the New College of the Humanities. Adam Pascal, Musician/Actor, created the role of "Roger" in the musical RENT. AJ Johnson, Vice president and co-founder, Be Secular. Alex Honnold, Rock climber, featured on 60 Minutes & the cover of National Geographic Magazine. Andrew Copson, Chief Executive, British Humanist Association. Cara Santa Maria, Co-host and Producer, TakePart Live on Pivot TV. Dan Barker, Co-president, Freedom From Religion Foundation. Daniel Dennett, Philosopher, author, and cognitive scientist, Tufts University. Donald C. Johanson, Paleoanthropologist, Arizona State University. Discovered the fossil of the hominid australopithecine known as "Lucy." Helena Guzik, Online Publications Assistant, The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Julia Sweeney, Actress, comedian & author. Matt Dillahunty, Speaker/co-cost; The Atheist Experience. Nahla Mahmoud, Environmentalist/Human Rights Activist. Patricia S. Churchland, Neurophilosopher, University of California San Diego. Robert Llewellyn, Writer, TV presenter, speaker, actor (Red Dwarf), electric vehicle evangelist. Sean Carroll, Theoretical Physicist, California Institute of Technology. Tracie Harris, Speaker/co-cost; The Atheist Experience.  

In this episode, Chris Johnson, author of the book A Better Life and producer of the movie with the same title, talks about his experience creating these works and what it means to have “a better life.” Chris is a New York-based photographer and filmmaker. He received his undergraduate degree in film production (along with a minor in religious studies) from Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec. His photography has been seen in various outlets, including The New York Times. He has spent the last three years working on A Better Life, traveling across the United States, Canada, the UK, Ireland, and other countries. Apart from his own film and photographic work, he has also collaborated with artists and directors in various roles and capacities from assistant director and stage manager, for theatre, film, and print. For the book and film of A Better Life, he interviewed many prominent atheist figures such as Richard Dawkins, Steven Pinker, Dan Dennett, Derren Brown, Pat Churchland, Julia Sweeney, Penn & Teller, and many more. He has given talks on atheism and his work at the Humanist Community at Harvard, New York Society for Ethical Culture, PA State Atheist/Humanist Conference, Sunday Assembly - New York, the Atheist Community of Austin, Freedom from Religion Foundation Annual Conference, and more. In addition, he has also been a guest on various podcasts and TV shows such as The Humanist Hour, Atheist Airwaves, The Phil Ferguson Show, The Atheist Experience, and Pivot TV's TakePart Live.

Jesse Graham joins us for part 2 of our discussion on the nature of morality, and his recent paper on Moral Foundations Theory. He highlights the key components of MFT, defends himself against our accusations of weaseling out of the normative implications of MFT, champions "Synechdoche, New York" as one of the greatest films ever made, and comes out of the closet as a rationalist. Also in this episode, Tamler begins to defend Sam Harris (you read that right) from Dan Dennett's criticisms of Harris' Free Will--and then we pull back and realize that we need to devote a whole episode to Dennett's review.  LinksDan Dennett's review of "Free Will" by Sam Harris [naturalism.org]Free Will by Sam Harris [amazon.com affiliate link]Jesse Graham's lab website [usc.edu]Moral Foundations Theory: The Pragmatic Validity of Moral Pluralism by Jesse Graham et al. Synechdoche, New York   (RIP Phllip Seymour Hoffman!) Special Guest: Jesse Graham.

If you fretted that you were merely a billiard ball on the pool table of life, Dan Dennett says take heart: you're actually a team of tiny robots. Dennett is often cast as the arch-reductionist, but he's actually more of an emergentist, as you'll hear in this interview. I've been wanting to talk to him again ever since we discussed his religion-as-biology book "Breaking the Spell" in 2006. We didn't have time then to get around to what he considers his life's work on mind, consciousness and free will. So when an opportunity finally came up last week, I did my best to cover all that ground in the hour Dan granted me.

Discussing articles by Alan Turing, Gilbert Ryle, Thomas Nagel, John Searle, and Dan Dennett. With guest Marco Wise.