August 2011
7 posts
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The relativity of now source
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The Optimism Bias and Memory “The belief that the future will be much better than the past and present is known as the optimism bias. (…)
The bias also protects and inspires us: it keeps us moving forward rather than to the nearest high-rise ledge. Without optimism, our ancestors might never have ventured far from their tribes and we might all be cave dwellers, still huddled...
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Existence: What is the self?
“Our sense of self is not an entity in its own right, but emerges from general purpose processes in the brain.
Seth Gillihan and Martha Farah of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia have proposed a view of the self that has three strands: the physical self (which arises from our sense of embodiment); the psychological self (which comprises our...
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A Record Of Life
A beautiful short animation made by Owen Gatley and Luke Jinks loosely based on the scientific recording of lifes great species and how this has given us clues that piece together, for us to discover the secrets of the evolution and diversity of life on Earth.
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Denis Dutton: A Darwinian theory of beauty
“There are many differences among the arts, but there are also universal, cross-cultural aesthetic pleasures and values. ...
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Dean Buonomano on ‘Brain Bugs’ - Cognitive Flaws That ‘Shape Our Lives’
“Brain (Left)” and “Brain (Right)” ©Don Stewart
“Simply put, our brain is inherently well suited for some tasks, but ill suited for others. Unfortunately, the brain’s weaknesses include recognizing which tasks are which, so for...
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What Is Reality?
“What we call reality,” [physicist] John Archibald Wheeler wrote coyly, “arises in the last analysis from the posing of yes-no questions.” He added: “All things physical are information-theoretic in origin, and this is a participatory universe.” The whole universe is thus seen as a computer—a cosmic information-processing machine.” — James Gleick, The...
