#892 Philip Ball - The Book of Minds: How to Understand Ourselves and Other Beings
RECORDED ON JANUARY 4th 2024.
Dr. Philip Ball is a freelance science writer, with a BA in Chemistry from the University of Oxford and a PhD in Physics from the University of Bristol. He was an editor at Nature for over 20 years. He is the author of many popular books on science, including The Book of Minds: How to Understand Ourselves and Other Beings, from Animals to AI to Aliens.
In this episode, we focus on The Book of Minds. We start by discussing the solipsist position, what a mind is, the idea of the “space of possible minds”, and the relationship between the mind and the brain. We talk about human evolved psychology, the relationship between reason and emotion, and neurodiversity. We discuss how we think about the minds of other beings, whether we can know what it is like to be another animal, and whether plants might have minds. We also talk about the possible minds of AI systems, the value of imagining the minds of possible aliens, and how discussions surrounding free will inform how we think about the mind.
Time Links:
Intro
The solipsist position
What is a mind?
The “space of possible minds”
The relationship between the mind and the brain
Human evolved psychology
The relationship between reason and emotion
Neurodiversity
How we think about the minds of other beings
What is it like to be another animal?
Do plants have minds?
The emergence of mind in evolution
The minds of AI systems
The minds of possible aliens
Free will
Follow Dr. Ball’s work!
Follow Dr. Ball’s work:
The Book of Minds: https://bit.ly/3Dr4gSo
Twitter handle: @philipcball