Safe space
for ideas.

When it comes to mental activity, our conscious experience is merely the tip of the iceberg. Vast amounts of data processing occur in parallel within specialized brain centers, independent of conscious control, from visual object recognition and motor control to the selection of words while speaking. One theory, supported by considerable empirical evidence, describes consciousness as a unifying mental arena (the “workspace”, see “Towards a cognitive neuroscience of consciousness: basic evidence and a workspace framework”) that evolved to share relevant thoughts, concepts, and perceptions across these processing centers. Such sharing makes information available for attention, reasoning, and decision-making, rendering it part of our conscious experience. This mechanism is often called “access consciousness” (or “conscious access”) to distinguish it from “phenomenal consciousness”, the subjective, first-person experience. Continue reading ↗

I like Žižek. He chokes on words, unable to keep pace with his thoughts. He seeks adversity. He is hungry. I like hungry. I listened to Curt Jaimungal’s podcast with Žižek recently. Among many topics discussed, freedom was the central attractor. Continue reading ↗

This is a review of Aaron Benanav’s “Automation and the Future of Work”, a book that challenges the idea that AI and robots are the main reasons jobs are disappearing and living standards are falling. Instead of blaming automation, the book argues that the deeper problem is long-term economic stagnation and industrial overcapacity: the world can already produce more than it can profitably sell. Continue reading ↗

Quantum mechanics is another hobby of mine. Here I illustrate a novel interpretation of quantum mechanins with a reference to Frodo’s journey from the Lord of the Rings. Continue reading ↗