Category: Essay

Essay3 Comments

Harry Potter and the Nature of the Self

Ben

Yup, this is what we’re doing today. I finally got to see Deathly Hallows Part 2, and it got me thinking about neuroscience like frickin’ everything always does, and I came home and wrote an essay about the nature of consciousness in the Harry Potter universe. And we’re going to talk about it, because it’s the holidays and can we please just pull it together and act like a normal family for the length of one blog post? Thank you. I really mean it. Besides, I guarantee you that this stuff is gonna bug you too once I’ve brought it … Continue reading Harry Potter and the Nature of the Self

Essay3 Comments

The Fascination of the Abomination

Ben

a.k.a. “From Blackwood to Coppola: Apocalypse Now as Weird Tale” Have you ever watched a movie that was so scary you couldn’t look away? For as long as I can remember – and probably longer – I’ve been intrigued by monsters. At preschool age, I possessed what my parents called an “overactive imagination,” and a few nightmares from which I woke screaming convinced them to prohibit me from watching TV shows – even cartoons – involving monsters or horror of any kind. As might be expected, this ban only served to intensify my fascination. By junior high, my parents seemed to … Continue reading The Fascination of the Abomination

Essay5 Comments

Kinds of Selves

Ben

What do you think it’d be like to not have a self? Take a moment and actually try to imagine it: a subjective experience that’s just as rich with sensory experiences, thoughts, and feelings as your life is now – but entirely devoid of an “I” to assign them to. If your mind works anything like mine, you probably found it difficult – if not impossible – to conceive of such a thing. After all, in any such experience, there’d still need to be someone perceiving those thoughts and feelings. It’s fairly straightforward to imagine life without a continuing abstract sense of … Continue reading Kinds of Selves

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A Dangerous Addiction

Ben

“Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves.” – Confucius Today, I want to ask an important scientific question: how the hell does Jonah Lehrer write such insightful articles so quickly? Osama bin Laden was killed Sunday night (Monday morning in Pakistan’s time zone), and by 10:30 this morning, Lehrer had posted an article on the neuropsychology of revenge. He asks a question that’s fascinated me for years: if revenge is such an unhealthy motivator, why is it hardwired into our dopaminergic pathways? As Lehrer puts it: According to the data, when men (but not women) watched a defector … Continue reading A Dangerous Addiction

Essay9 Comments

Clearing Things Up

Ben

I’ve spent the past few weeks considering various aspects of the techniques and concepts I’ve been writing about here, and I realized I’ve made at least one error that I consider to be pretty serious. I’ve also failed to make some crucial distinctions clear – and in doing so, I’ve done injustice to some of my favorite topics. So I’d like to use this post to lay out – in a way that makes sense – just what I’m getting at when I mention concepts like gods in the same breath as, say, the DMN. My biggest error was failing … Continue reading Clearing Things Up

Essay2 Comments

What’s In a Name?

Ben

Remember the story of the Garden of Eden? Adam and Eve pretty much had it made, wouldn’t you say? They got to chill in a tropical garden all the time, cuddling with lions and high-fiving God whenever they felt like it. In fact, other than that little rule about not eating from a certain tree, Adam only had to take care of one thing – naming all the animals. What is it about the act of naming that’s so powerful? In many magical and mythological systems, things have a common (public) name and a True Name – sometimes called a secret name. … Continue reading What’s In a Name?

Essay3 Comments

The Watson Situation

Ben

Or, “Logistical Problems in Subsymbolic Computation: A Neurophysiological Perspective.” Because that title’s fun – that’s why. Today, I want to take a little break from connectome hacking and talk about a question that’s been generating some lively debate lately: what exactly is IBM’s Watson doing? I don’t mean “doing,” so much, in the sense that can be answered, “Crushing every human opponent with a silicon fist,” but in a more abstract, philosophical sense: “Is Watson thinking? Does it have awareness? Does it display any of the components of conscious thought?” I think we can learn a lot about consciousness by … Continue reading The Watson Situation

Essay9 Comments

Hacking Your Connectome

Ben

Last time, after I explained some basic theory behind connectome hacking, I promised I’d give you three concrete examples of using your nervous system’s built-in circuitry to create changes in your own behavior, and the circumstances in which you find yourself. I’m really excited to show you these techniques, so let’s get right into it. Example 1: Rerouting With Math When’s the last time you were a little intoxicated (or just over-tired) and said something you wish you could take back? You can be honest; for me it was last weekend. Something like “Mail Goggles” might’ve come in handy. It’s … Continue reading Hacking Your Connectome

Essay2 Comments

Opening a Terminal

Ben

…otherwise known as “What It’s Like to Be a Fish, Part 2.” I have to start by showing you this TED talk that just grips me every time I watch it. It’s by Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor, a neuroanatomist who experienced a stroke in her left hemisphere, and…well, I’ll let it speak for itself. On the morning of December 10, 1996, I woke up to discover that I had a brain disorder of my own. A blood vessel exploded in the left half of my brain. And in the course of four hours, I watched my brain completely deteriorate in … Continue reading Opening a Terminal