CogNation

CogNation Media
  • 4.9 (23)
  • SCIENCE
  • UPDATED BIMONTHLY
CogNation

CogNation is a podcast by Rolf Nelson and Joe Hardy, two cognitive psychologists interested in the future of brain science and technology. We explore relevant topics in the areas of cognitive science, technology, AI, and philosophy. Although we dabble with dystopian implications of new technologies (such as the impending robopocalypse), we are led by our curiosity and try to keep it light and fun. https://www.facebook.com/CognationPodcast/ email: cognationpodcast@gmail.com

  1. FEB 20

    Expanding our Moral Circle with Philosopher Jeff Sebo

    Rolf and Joe talk to NYU philosopher Jeff Sebo about his new book "The Moral Circle", which makes the case for expanding our circle of who is deserving of ethical consideration to nonhuman animals, insects, plants, and AI systems.

    1h 18m

  2. JAN 28

    Dreaming (part 3) with Antti Revonsuo

    Rolf and Joe wrap up their 3-part series on dreaming with Finnish neuroscientist and philosopher Antti Revonsuo. Dr. Revonsuo is the originator of the Threat Simulation theory of dreams, which suggests that dreams are simulated worlds in which we may practice threatening situations. Topics include the history and methodology in dream research, how our brains create simulated worlds, the particular nature of the simulated dream world, and how this applies to waking consciousness. We base our discussion on three forthcoming papers: Revonsuo, A. (in press) Toward a Metaphysics of Consciousness: Science and the Fundamental Nature of Subjective Experience. To appear in The Scientific Study of Consciousness: Experimental and Theoretical Approaches. (Springer Nature). Revonsuo, A. & Tuominen, J. (in press) The Concept of Dreaming as a World. To appear in Threshold Worlds (Oxford University Press). Revonsuo, A., Valli, K., & Tuominen, J. (in preparation) Evolutionary Simulation Theories of Dreaming.

    1h 37m

  3. 11/26/2024

    Dreams and Anaesthesia: Guest Pilleriin Sikka

    In their second episode in a series on dreaming, Joe and Rolf are joined by Dr. Pilleriin Sikka, a Stanford neuroscientist who is currently studying the therapeutic value of dreams under anesthesia.  Hack, L. M., Sikka, P., Zhou, K., Kawai, M., Chow, H. S., & Heifets, B. (2024). Reduction in Trauma-Related Symptoms After Anesthetic-Induced Intra-Operative Dreaming. American Journal of Psychiatry, 181(6), 563-564. https://psychiatryonline.org/doi/full/10.1176/appi.ajp.20230698

    44 min

  4. 11/08/2024

    Why do we dream?

    Why do we dream, and what is the meaning of our dreams? Rolf and Joe talk about several ideas about dreaming, including a new theory by David Eagleman called the "defensive activation theory", which proposes that dreams are like a screen saver to keep the visual parts of the brain from being overtaken by other senses. Eagleman, D. M., & Vaughn, D. A. (2020). The Defensive Activation theory: dreaming as a mechanism to prevent takeover of the visual cortex. bioRxiv, 2020-07.

    48 min

  5. 05/28/2024

    Daniel Dennett: A Retrospective

    Daniel Dennett, who passed away on April 19th at the age of 82, was one of the great philosophers of our time. Rolf and Joe discuss his ideas and his influence on the field of philosophy, including (especially) bringing consciousness back as a topic of serious study with his book "Consciousness Explained", as well as his work on free will, evolution, religion, and constructing a convincing argument.

    48 min

  6. 03/25/2024

    AI and Cognition with Daniel Sternberg

    What can neuroscience teach us about AI, and vice versa, what can AI teach us about our own intelligence? Joe and Rolf talk to returning guest Daniel Sternberg about advances in AI over the past year. Topics include using the methods of cognitive psychology to understand AI; representation in artificial intelligence; what current large language models  (LLMs) are good at and not good at; sentience in AI; the future of humanity; and other important stuff. Natural and Artificial Intelligence: A brief introduction to the interplay between AI and neuroscience research [https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0893608021003683] (Macpherson, et al., 2021) Can AI language models replace human participants? [https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5e57f82eb306fc38c7637f33/t/6490afc6074d6e3982f6d049/1687203782514/can-AI-language-models-replace-human-participants.pdf] (Dillion, et al., 2023) Language models show human-like content effects on reasoning [https://stanford.edu/~jlmcc/papers/DasguptaLampinenEtAl22LMsShowHumanLikeContentEffectsInReasoning.pdf] (Dasgupta et al., 2022)

    1h 22m

  7. 01/25/2024

    Autism with guest Matthew Goodwin

    This episode is dedicated to the memory of colleague and friend Grace Baron [https://wheatoncollege.edu/news/no-time-like-now/]. Joe and Rolf talk to Dr. Matthew Goodwin, a professor at Northeastern University whose research focus is on autism. His most recent paper [https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2813185] used biosensing (heart rate, skin conductance, etc.) to predict aggressive behavior in profound autistic individuals up to three minutes before the event.

    1h 5m

  8. 01/08/2024

    Donald Hoffman's Case Against Reality

    Joe and Rolf discuss the ideas of perceptual psychologist Donald Hoffman, who has argued that our perceptual systems have no access to reality, since evolution is driven by fitness functions, not objective truth. He has also argued that our perception is a user interface (like a desktop on a computer, or a VR headset), and that objects such as the moon don't exist when we are not apprehending them.   Hoffman, Donald. The case against reality: Why evolution hid the truth from our eyes. WW Norton & Company, 2019. Bagwell, J. N. (2023). Debunking interface theory: why Hoffman's skepticism (really) is self-defeating. Synthese, 201(1), 25.

    44 min
See All (63)

    4.9
    out of 5
    23 Ratings

    About

    CogNation is a podcast by Rolf Nelson and Joe Hardy, two cognitive psychologists interested in the future of brain science and technology. We explore relevant topics in the areas of cognitive science, technology, AI, and philosophy. Although we dabble with dystopian implications of new technologies (such as the impending robopocalypse), we are led by our curiosity and try to keep it light and fun. https://www.facebook.com/CognationPodcast/ email: cognationpodcast@gmail.com

    Information

    • Creator
      CogNation Media
    • Years Active
      2019 - 2025
    • Episodes
      63
    • Rating
      Clean
    • Copyright
      © 2023 Rolf Nelson and Joe Hardy
    • Show Website
      CogNation

    Content Restricted

    This episode can’t be played on the web in your country or region.

    To listen to explicit episodes, sign in.

    Stay up to date with this show

    Sign in or sign up to follow shows, save episodes, and get the latest updates.
    Select a country or region

    Africa, Middle East, and India

    Asia Pacific

    Europe

    Latin America and the Caribbean

    The United States and Canada