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on-the-nature-of-things

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Analects

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On the Nature of Things

stuff On metaphysics

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Neurons link into ‘pathways’ that map perceptions to actions. But, neural pathways don’t just link one thing to one other thing—each pathway is involved at many things at once. So to change one, you have to also contend with all the rest.

How neurons influence behaviour

Article

Whatever podcaster you like is almost certainly lying to you about how the brain works, and how that influences your behaviour. Knowing about the brain almost never tells you how people might behave. But there are some exceptions. This is part one of a series on those: what can neurons tell us about human behaviour?
Neurons link into ‘pathways’ that map perceptions to actions. But, neural pathways don’t just link one thing to one other thing—each pathway is involved at many things at once. So to change one, you have to also contend with all the rest.
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betterment on-the-nature-of-things on-thinking-and-reasoning somatic-architecture

article

Glossolalia has a unique pattern of neural activity, distinct from psychopathologies and even other trance-like states. So, the feeling underneath is special, but the actual speaking itself seems learned. It makes you wonder where that feeling comes from.

Speaking in tongues

Article

‘Speaking in Tongues’, or glossolalia, is one of those fascinating things that first got me interested in the brain. At church, as a kid, you’d see people close their eyes, raise their hands in the air, and start murmuring in languages unknown, filled with some force they couldn’t explain. But a phenomenon so widespread, found in many religions and many cultures, across time and place, should surely be found in the brain activity of other activities? The answer is, maybe not, and maybe what the brain does tell is leaves us with a more interesting question.
Glossolalia has a unique pattern of neural activity, distinct from psychopathologies and even other trance-like states. So, the feeling underneath is special, but the actual speaking itself seems learned. It makes you wonder where that feeling comes from.
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gratification on-culture on-leadership on-politics-and-power on-the-nature-of-things spiritual-architecture

article

The brain almost certainly has many processes that contribute to any decision. Here we have one that cares about what it sees, and maybe another process that decides what to do about what it sees.

How does the brain 'think'? Pt. III

Article

In part three of a series explaining my PhD, I talk about how I might just have tracked down something in the brain that does a bit of ‘thinking’, by looking very hard at the brain when it needs to make easy and hard ‘decisions’ about where some moving dots are going.
The brain almost certainly has many processes that contribute to any decision. Here we have one that cares about what it sees, and maybe another process that decides what to do about what it sees.
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betterment on-the-nature-of-things on-thinking-and-reasoning somatic-architecture

article

The brain probably enhances colour information, inhibits word information, or some combination to solve the Stroop task. I found inhibition, but really, this is more of a catalogue of how hard brain science really is.

How does the brain 'think'? Pt. II

Article

In part two of a series explaining my PhD, I talk about one example of the kind of thinking that really does incontrovertably appear to be higher-order, non-routine thought. If you have the word ‘blue’, but the word is coloured red, and I ask you to name the colour, not read the colour-word, you’re going to have trouble. You’ve been told to name colours, but you automatically want to read the words. You have a conflict. Much of my PhD asked how the brain might solve this kind of conflict.
The brain probably enhances colour information, inhibits word information, or some combination to solve the Stroop task. I found inhibition, but really, this is more of a catalogue of how hard brain science really is.
Read this article

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betterment on-the-nature-of-things on-thinking-and-reasoning somatic-architecture

article

It’s not exactly clear how often humans really ‘think’. Most of what we do is automatic—habitual responding to a predictable world. But there are a few puzzling examples of thinking, and we don’t really know how they work.

How does the brain 'think'? Pt. I

Article

In part one of a series explaining my PhD, I explain the overarching question cognitive neuroscience is interested in: how does the brain do thinking? Habitual, associative processing in which we respond automatically is not really the kind of thinking people want to know more about, but it’s the easiest to explain, and most of what people ‘think’ is exactly this. But there are some quite striking, and puzzling, forms of thought that do seem to be truly higher-order.
It’s not exactly clear how often humans really ‘think’. Most of what we do is automatic—habitual responding to a predictable world. But there are a few puzzling examples of thinking, and we don’t really know how they work.
Read this article

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betterment on-the-nature-of-things on-thinking-and-reasoning somatic-architecture
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