Episodes

  • #27 — Is Willpower Like Muscle Power? with Roy F. Baumeister

    #27 — Is Willpower Like Muscle Power? with Roy F. Baumeister
    Mar 27 2023

    How do we regulate our impulsive emotions, resist temptation, break bad habits, and come up to our best potential - and why do we sometimes run short? Is willpower anything like muscle power?

    In this episode, we welcome prominent social psychologist Roy F. Baumeister, who has published some 700 scientific works, including 40 books. A recipient of many awards, in 2013 Roy received the highest award given by the Association for Psychological Science, the William James Fellow award, in recognition of his lifetime achievements.

    Roy has studied major aspects of the self, the pros and cons of self-esteem, and why it is so hard to do mentally effortful tasks, like studying long hours for a math exam. He is especially known for his work on willpower, self-control, ego depletion, and the dark side of self esteem — how these factors relate to human morality and life success, and can even trigger interpersonal violence.

    Talking Points

    • 0:00 - Intro
    • 04:44 - Is mental effort (willpower) analogous to a muscle?
    • 09:32 - Eating glucose can help restore mental energy.
    • 20:50 - “Ego Depletion” is another useful analogy.
    • 24:32 - The Practical Implications of Baumeister’s Work.
    • 34:27 - Practice can make mental effort easier.
    • 45:24 - Is Free Will an illusion? A scientific view.
    • 54:46 - Self-esteem without achievement is a trap.

    Links

    — Website and Social Media —

    Website: https://bernardbaars.com/

    Twitter: https://twitter.com/BernardJBaars

    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BernardJBaars/

    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bernardjbaars/

    YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BernardBaarsOnConsciousness

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/baarslab/?hl=en

    — Roy F. Baumeister —

    Personal Website: https://roybaumeister.com/

    Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Baumeister

    Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=ShSEUuoAAAAJ&hl=en

    Ted Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwlDLe6O7NE

    Books on Amazon:

    https://www.amazon.com/stores/Roy-F.-Baumeister/author/B001H6IAJY?ref=ap_rdr&store_ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true
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    1 hr and 6 mins
  • #26 — Smell, Taste & Consciousness with Dr. Stuart Firestein

    #26 — Smell, Taste & Consciousness with Dr. Stuart Firestein
    Feb 2 2023

    Neurobiologist Stuart Firestein, one of the world's leading experts on olfaction, joins Bernard Baars to discuss the similarities and surprising differences of smell and taste in relation to vision, hearing and somatosensory systems, like touch. The olfactory system presents us with alternative views of how sensory stimuli are parsed in the brain and how we integrate those into some sort of conscious worldview.

    Dr. Stuart Firestein specializes in the olfactory system ⎯ why and how our brains and noses sense smell. Stuart is the former chair of Columbia University's Department of Biological Sciences and a neurobiology professor, where his laboratory studies the vertebrate olfactory system, possibly the best chemical detector on the face of the planet.

    Stuart is devoted to the history, evolution, and future of science. Author of "Ignorance: How it Drives Science" and "Failure: Why Science is so Successful” (OUP), his books cast science as an unending quest to illuminate ignorance and failure as an essential component in that process.

    Talking Points

    • 0:00 - Intro
    • 3:59 - The Ups and Downs of Consciousness in Science
    • 12:30 - Stuart’s Journey from Theater to Neuroscience
    • 19:14 - Is Olfaction an Idiosyncratic or Unique Brain System?
    • 25:30 - The Connection Between Smell, Memory & Emotion
    • 34:37 - The Immune System Recognizes a Repertoire of Molecules Just Like the Olfactory System
    • 42:51 - The Regenerative Capabilities of Olfactory Neurons
    • 51:48 - Are Olfactory Receptors Like Other Chemoreceptors?
    • 01:02:34 - The Integration of Olfactory Stimuli into a Chemical Panorama
    • 01:10:24 - Is Olfaction a Low- or High-Dimensional Input System?
    • 01:16:56 - How to Improve Science Learning
    • 01:22:25 - The Value of Ignorance and Failure in Science

    Producer: Natalie Geld

    Links

    — Website and Social Media —

    Website: https://bernardbaars.com/

    Twitter: https://twitter.com/BernardJBaars

    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BernardJBaars/

    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bernardjbaars/

    YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BernardBaarsOnConsciousness

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/baarslab/?hl=en

    — Stuart Firestein —

    Website: http://stuartfirestein.com/

    Columbia University: https://www.biology.columbia.edu/people/firestein

    Ted Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nq0_zGzSc8g

    Books:

    - Ignorance: How It Drives Science: Buy at Amazon

    - Failure: Why Science Is So Successful: Buy at Amazon
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    1 hr and 31 mins
  • #25 — Human Consciousness and AI: What Does the Future Hold? with Susan Schneider and Rachel St. Clair

    #25 — Human Consciousness and AI: What Does the Future Hold? with Susan Schneider and Rachel St. Clair
    Jan 2 2023
    In this episode, we examine Human Consciousness and AI, and particularly the popular idea that AI will become conscious at some point. Because conscious brains are the product of enormous periods of evolution and environmental conditions that keep changing in basic ways, the popular idea that machine consciousness is just around the corner is questioned by Bernard Baars. But very important ethical and practical questions are already emerging today. Social media has trouble distinguishing between human messages and bots, and we are already seeing AI being used in armed drones in a major European war in the Ukraine. All kinds of important ethical and practical questions are already facing the world. In some ways, this is like the early days of nuclear weapons - people around the world are wondering what the new technologies will bring. What does the future hold? AI technology is developing faster than most of us expected. The worldwide web has triggered a great information explosion that continues in wave after wave. Historically, information explosions are often very disruptive, as in the rise of the printing press, of radio and television, and now the spread of intelligent computers. Human beings need time to adjust to fast changes. So today, we will discuss the future of Artificial Intelligence in relation to human consciousness, including major ethical questions raised by philosophers and others. We also discuss some of the latest promising, and positive, scientific advances in AI. Our special guest is Dr. Susan Schneider, Founding Director of the Center for the Future Mind at Florida Atlantic University, where she also holds the William F. Dietrich Distinguished Professorship. She is co-director of the MPCR Lab at FAU’s new Gruber Sandbox, a large facility which builds AI systems drawing from neuroscience research and philosophical developments. Susan recently completed a three year project with NASA on the future of intelligence. She now works with the United States Congress on AI policy. Susan is also an author, and her current book “Artificial You'' discusses the philosophical implications of AI, and, in particular, the enterprise of “mind design.” Also joining us today is postdoctoral fellow Rachel St. Clair, the founder and CEO of Simuli Inc., whose passion and goal is to help build beneficial AGI. Talking Points 0:00 - Intro3:07 - How Our Understanding of AI is Changing Rapidly10:47 - Urgent Ethical Questions about AI-controlled Weapons16:20 - Dan Dennett's Position on Treating Humanoid AI as Counterfeits19:50 - Can Computers Emulate Biological Brains?30:58 - Science and Philosophy Use the Same Words with Very Different Meanings.36:23 - Scientifically, the Cortex is the Organ of Consciousness.46:34 - Is Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) possible? How Do We Build AGI Safely?52:44 - Does "Conscious" AGI Need a Global Workspace Architecture?01:03:53 - Beyond Mind-Body Debates01:13:38 - Advances in Artificial Intelligence01:19:42 - Some Risks of Augmenting Human Abilities01:23:20 - Thought Manipulation, Invasive Surveillance and Mass Deception01:27:10 - Closing Statements Links — Website and Social Media — Website: https://bernardbaars.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/BernardJBaars Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BernardJBaars/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bernardjbaars/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BernardBaarsOnConsciousness Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/baarslab/?hl=en — Susan Schneider — Personal: https://schneiderwebsite.com/index.html Center for the Future Mind: https://www.fau.edu/future-mind/ Susan's Latest Book "Artificial You": https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691180144/artificial-you Florida Atlantic University Profile: https://www.fau.edu/artsandletters/philosophy/susan-schneider/index/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/drsueschneider Center for the Future Mind Twitter: https://twitter.com/CenFutureMind — Rachel St. Clair — LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachelaileenstclair/ Rachel's Startup Simuli, Inc.: https://www.simuli.ai/ MPCR Lab Profile: https://mpcrlab.com/people/Rachel-St-Clair/ Producer: Nat Geld
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    1 hr and 32 mins
  • #24 — The Conscious Brain Evolved with David Edelman, Jay Giedd & Mark Mitton

    #24 — The Conscious Brain Evolved with David Edelman, Jay Giedd & Mark Mitton
    Nov 22 2022

    The home of the late Nobel Laureate, Gerald Edelman, is the setting for this elevated discussion on human consciousness. In this episode, Bernie is joined by Gerald's son and neuroscientist David Edelman, developmental neuropsychiatrist Dr. Jay Giedd, and professional magician Mark Mitton.

    What level of biology is relevant to the study of conscious processing? Is it a matter of molecules? Or cells? Or networks?

    Talking Points

    • 0:00 – The Biological Level of the Conscious Brain
    • 6:28 – Like Evolution, Consciousness is Highly Adaptive
    • 12:27 – Like Magic, Inductive Science is Highly Adaptive and Full of Surprises
    • 18:05 – How Magic Plays With The Limited Capacity of the Conscious Brain
    • 23:18 – The Hippocampus and Amygdala are Two Evolved Structures of the Brain
    • 28:39 – Deception and Self Deception Create Mismatches Between Reality and Expectations
    • 36:25 – The Immune System and the Brain Are Both Highly Adaptable

    Links

    — Website and Social Media —

    Show Notes: Ep #24 Full Summary

    Website: https://bernardbaars.com/

    Twitter: https://twitter.com/BernardJBaars

    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BernardJBaars/

    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bernardjbaars/

    YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/OnConsciousnesswithBernardBaars

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/baarslab/?hl=en

    — David Edelman, PhD —

    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-edelman-b5b16315/

    Twitter: https://twitter.com/doctorocto

    Elsevier: https://www.elsevier.com/connect/contributors/david-edelman-phd

    — Jay Giedd, PhD —

    University of California, San Diego: https://profiles.ucsd.edu/jay.giedd

    Doximity: https://www.doximity.com/pub/jay-giedd-md

    Brain and Behavior Foundation: https://www.bbrfoundation.org/about/people/jay-n-giedd-md-0

    — Mark Mitton —

    Personal Website: http://markmitton.com/index.html

    Twitter: https://twitter.com/mark_mitton?lang=en

    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-mitton-4204696/

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/markmittonmagic/?hl=en
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    43 mins
  • #23 — Global Workspace Theory (GWT) and Prefrontal Cortex: Recent Developments (Baars et al., 2021)

    #23 — Global Workspace Theory (GWT) and Prefrontal Cortex: Recent Developments (Baars et al., 2021)
    Oct 18 2022

    We think of the cortex in terms of anatomical regions, but the cortex works as a whole. Static, gross anatomical divisions are superseded by the dynamical connectome of cortex.

    This holistic viewpoint is detailed in the recent paper in the Journal Frontiers in Psychology: Consciousness Research, titled "Global Workspace Theory & Prefrontal Cortex: Recent Developments" (Baars, Geld & Kozma, 2021), which we discuss in this episode.

    A wide range of experimental and theoretical studies in the field of consciousness emphasize the complex and rapid interactivity of numerous regions and connectivities in the cerebral cortex. That dynamical view of the cortex should give us pause about proposing dichotomies that may not be in evidence. This paper aims to clarify some empirical questions that have been raised, and review evidence that the prefrontal and posterior regions of the brain support dynamic global workspace functions, in agreement with several other authors.

    Our special guest for Episode 23 is Dr. Robert Kozma, professor and director of the Center for Large-Scale Integrated Optimization and Networks (CLION) at the FedEx Institute of Technology, and professor of Mathematics in the Department of Mathematical Sciences at the University of Memphis. Ilian Daskalov, our student interviewer, joins us to explore this recent paper on GWT and Prefrontal Cortex.

    To follow along with this discussion, here is the link to the source paper: Baars, B. J., Geld, N., & Kozma, R. (2021). Global Workspace Theory (GWT) and Prefrontal Cortex: Recent Developments. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 5163. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.749868

    Talking Points
    • 0:00 – Intro
    • 4:04 – Divisions between PfC and other neuronal regions tend to be misleading.
    • 5:57 – Global Workspace Theory: An Overview
    • 10:23 – The Role of Metaphors in Science
    • 15:37 – Consciousness is the Dynamic Core of the Brain.
    • 21:44 – Unifying Principles of the Global Workspace “Family” of Theories
    • 30:59 – What is “Binding” and “Broadcasting” in the Brain?
    • 34:39 – What did Raccah et al. (2021) Get Wrong about GWT?
    • 43:22 – What is Neuropercolation Theory?
    • 58:12 – Conscious and Unconscious Metacognition
    • 01:07:07 – The Dynamical Connectome of Cortex
    • 01:12:01 – Functional Rich Clubs (FRICs) by Deco et al. (2021): Part of GW “Family”
    • 01:17:30 – Final Thoughts
    Links & Publications

    — Website and Social Media —

    Episode Summary: https://bernardbaars.com/episode-23

    Website:https://bernardbaars.com/

    Twitter: https://twitter.com/BernardJBaars

    Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BernardJBaars/

    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bernardjbaars/

    YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/OnConsciousnesswithBernardBaars

    Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/baarslab/?hl=en

    — Robert Kozma, Ph.D. —

    University of Memphis: https://www.memphis.edu/msci/people/rkozma.php

    CLION: https://www.memphis.edu/clion/

    IEEE: https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/author/37284339400

    Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Kozma

    Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=Nddbg2gAAAAJ&hl=en

    PubMed Publications: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=Kozma%2C%20Robert

    Neuropercolation Theory (PDF): https://escholarship.org/content/qt2qn4778j/qt2qn4778j.pdf

    Link to paper by Deco et al. (2021): https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-020-01003-6
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    1 hr and 24 mins
  • #22 — Consciousness Has an Integrative Function with Neuroscientist, David Edelman

    #22 — Consciousness Has an Integrative Function with Neuroscientist, David Edelman
    Jul 11 2022
    “Can consciousness be seen as the key to understanding our surroundings and organizing our actions?” — David Edelman, PhD, Neuroscientist and Visiting Scholar in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Dartmouth College Ep 22: Consciousness Has an Integrative Function with Neuroscientist, David Edelman Episode 22 of our podcast On Consciousness brings back neuroscientist David Edelman, who graciously hosted this discussion in the home of his late father, Nobel Laureate Gerald M. Edelman. Some have argued that consciousness is only a side effect of the brain, but from an evolutionary point of view, major adaptations result from intense genetic pressures, which are causal. The exact nature of that causality is still under debate. One evolutionary function of consciousness is likely to be sensory and action (motor) integration. It seems that consciousness is needed anytime two sensory events have to be combined, like the sound of a bird and the sight of that same bird, or the sound of a singer and her lip movements. Even this sentence requires conscious involvement to combine the beginning with its ending. Consciousness has an integrative function. Talking Points 0:00 – Intro by Nat Geld0:53 – Is awareness just a side effect of the brain?5:56 – Does consciousness occur with a delay?9:13 – Resolving Ambiguity in the World12:59 – From Uncertainty to Predictability: A major function of consciousness.18:33 – Fine-tuning the Senses: Perceptual learning. Summary Controversies Over Causality Bernie and David mull over the causal role of consciousness in the brain. Bernie mentions that Darwin’s public advocate, Thomas Henry Huxley, claimed that consciousness might only be a side effect of the brain in the way that the steam whistle of a locomotive can be considered to be a side effect of the heating of the giant steam vessel. But this seems to violate the physics of the conservation of energy — the steam vessel is, in fact, driving the train whistle. Still, the notion of consciousness as a side effect continues to be debated in philosophy. David then suggests that one causal role for consciousness may be a retrospective glance at sensory information in the very brief time after visual neurons are activated. David suggests that consciousness may involve a retrospective assessment as opposed to anything else. Bernie agrees with David’s point, although it depends on the predictability of the input. When our senses encounter an unpredictable event, consciousness is needed to make the unpredictable, predictable. For biologically important events, like avoiding dangers or keeping your child from harm, consciousness is even more deeply involved. Can consciousness be seen as the key to understanding our surroundings and organizing our actions? David’s father, Gerald Edelman, was a famous biologist who thought deeply about consciousness, and wondered about the philosophical question of the causality of consciousness. Bernie offers that awareness is not only useful for interpretation of the world, but also for associative creativity. In general, consciousness is needed to reduce uncertainty and increase predictability. Bernie and David then examine some of the classical experiments on integrative sensory processing. The cognitive scientist David Eagleman has done pioneering work on synesthesia, the ability some people have to link words and numbers with specific colors or sounds or feeling tones — a kind of 'merging of sensations'. Synesthesia is one aspect of artistic creativity that seems to require conscious involvement. Bernie suggests that consciousness has a kind of a pointing role, that allows us to emphasize important events in the world, and to communicate those events to each other. In the final moments of the episode, Bernie and David agree that the conscious brain is remarkably adaptable to an enormous range of new and biologically important events. This “consciously-mediated adaptability” clearly disappears when we do not pay attention or get distracted, or lose alertness. The conscious brain appears to have major bio-cultural functions. Get a 40% Discount for your copy of Bernie Baars' acclaimed new book On Consciousness: Science & Subjectivity - Updated Works on Global Workspace Theory GO TO: http://shop.thenautiluspress.comAPPLY DISCOUNT CODE AT CHECKOUT: "PODCASTVIP" Bios David Edelman, PhD: A neuroscientist and currently Visiting Scholar in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Dartmouth College, David has taught neuroscience at the University of San Diego and UCSD. He was Professor of Neuroscience at Bennington College until 2014 and visiting professor in the Department of Psychology, CUNY Brooklyn College from 2015-2017. He has conducted research in a wide range of areas, including mechanisms of gene regulation, the relationship between mitochondrial transport and brain activity, and visual perception in the ...
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    26 mins
  • #21 — The Duet of Physics & Psychology with Psychophysicist, Stanley Klein

    #21 — The Duet of Physics & Psychology with Psychophysicist, Stanley Klein
    Jun 6 2022
    "Subjectivity and consciousness are the two main mysteries that science is still faced with. I'm an optimist. I believe that in the next half a century we might make progress on understanding consciousness." - Stanley A. Klein, psychophysicist, professor of Vision Science and Optometry at the University of California, Berkeley and a member of the Berkeley Visual Processing Laboratory. Episode 21: The Duet of Physics & Psychology with Psychophysicist, Stanley Klein In episode 21 of our podcast “On Consciousness” we welcome psychophysicist Stanley Klein, Professor of Vision Science and Optometry at the University of California, Berkeley. Stan’s major area of research is neuropsychology and neurotechnology, a field of science that studies the body and mind through the nervous system by electronics and mechanisms. Stan was a Consulting Editor for Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics, a publication of the Psychonomic Society. In this conversation Bernie and Stanley discuss the links between physics & psychology, Galileo’s contributions, and how science grows. Talking Points 0:00 – Intro 6:17 – Stan Klein’s academic and professional journey 14:50 – Does the brain enable the conscious mind? 22:16 – How Galileo helped to found physics. 32:06 – How do we agree on the nature of nature? 39:15 – The growth of physics 45:38 – Science grows through honest conversations. 53:50 – Stan Klein on the future of science Summary How do you think about subjectivity? This friendly conversation is opened by Nat Geld, our podcast producer. She asks Stan how he thinks about subjectivity. Stan’s optimistic view is that within the next 40 years or so, science might be able to understand subjectivity and consciousness. Bernie and Stan start a dialogue about his professional journey. As a physics undergraduate at Cal Tech, Stan had the honor of publishing a paper with Richard Feynman, the great physicist. After earning his PhD from Brandeis University in 1967, Stan taught at Claremont Colleges and finally arrived at the School of Optometry at UC Berkeley, where he has been since 1987. Consciousness and the Brain Stan asks, "Is consciousness located exclusively in the brain?" Bernie says, “Consciousness emerges in an enormous universe of nature, but only in a very small part of that universe. All the conscious species we know are animals living in the outer crust of planet earth. Empirically, we know nothing else. These days, this brutal fact tends to be forgotten because we have so many speculative ideas that tend to confuse us about the basics. But in science, we always need to start from what we know for sure. To the best of our knowledge today, the animal brain is the home of the conscious mind.” Scientific definitions change over time. For Galileo, gravity meant the speed of wooden blocks sliding down angled planes. For Newton, gravity meant the attractive force of planets in orbit around the sun. Finally, for Einstein, gravity meant the influence of time and space on the apparent acceleration of objects in space. There is both great continuity between Galileo, Newton and Einstein, and at the same time, there is a constantly evolving concept of gravity. The concept of consciousness is also evolving with every new discovery. Stan suggests that the big revolution in physics occurred in the 1920s with the discovery that a photon can be a wave or a particle. Einstein passionately opposed this idea, and tried to disprove it for the rest of his life. That debate still continues today. Bernie then mentions that new ideas and discoveries are always hard to accept, and they usually require a period of debate and adaptation. The idea of the conscious brain is now going through just such a period. But of course both sides tell stories from their own points of view. One side explains how the Vatican unreasonably refused to accept Galileo, and the other side explains how Galileo unreasonably refused to accept the Vatican. This is a perfectly normal debate in the history of science. There are two sides, not just one. In the episode's final moments, Ilian talks with Stan about what he believes to be the future of science. "Science needs to focus on climate change," says Stan. "I believe that in the next half a century we might make progress on understanding consciousness." Get a 40% Discount for your copy of Bernie Baars' acclaimed new book On Consciousness: Science & Subjectivity - Updated Works on Global Workspace Theory GO TO: http://shop.thenautiluspress.comAPPLY DISCOUNT CODE AT CHECKOUT: "PODCASTVIP" Bios Stanley A. Klein is an American psychophysicist. He is a Professor of Vision Science and Optometry at the University of California, Berkeley and a member of the Berkeley Visual Processing Laboratory. He was a consulting editor for Attention, Perception, & Psychophysics, a publication of the Psychosomatic Society which promotes the...
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    1 hr and 3 mins
  • #20 — Neural Traffic Flow in the Conscious Brain with Dr. Jay Giedd

    #20 — Neural Traffic Flow in the Conscious Brain with Dr. Jay Giedd
    May 3 2022
    The brain seeks meaning and patterns. It would be very adaptive to do so in nature, because you need to know how to predict danger and to develop social ties. So our brains are very good at recognizing patterns, but also at creating them, even when they're not there. - Dr. Jay Giedd, Chair of Child Psychiatry at Rady Children's Hospital - San Diego and Director of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Professor of Psychiatry at UCSD School of Medicine, and Professor in the Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Episode 20: Neural Traffic Flow in the Conscious Brain with Dr. Jay Giedd In this lighthearted conversation, Bernard Baars welcomes returning guest, developmental neuropsychiatrist Dr. Jay Giedd, Professor of Psychiatry at UC San Diego School of Medicine. Their discussion touches on the nuances of unconscious and conscious states, the relationship between dreams and waking moments, and what the recent science tells us about different brain specializations. Talking Points 0:00 – How does consciousness emerge?8:46 – Ways to study dreams17:05 – Conscious truth and fantasy22:57 – Brain connectivity: The street map and the traffic flow29:19 – Clarifying the concepts Summary How does consciousness emerge? Jay Giedd shares with Bernie Baars one of the utmost questions on his mind as of late, namely, at what point do we cross the threshold from being unconscious to being conscious? They examine how sleep studies and improving brain imaging technology can help us understand the nature of consciousness, and Jay considers the notion that emergence of awareness is caused not only by the quantity of brain neurons, but also by the types of connections. To Sleep, Perchance to Dream The duo discuss dream content, and Jay reflects on his initial training as a Freudian psychoanalyst, part of which included keeping a dream journal. He makes the observation that although the dreaming mind can create a narrative where the laws of physics and biology are defied, our dreams are nonetheless connected to our day-to-day activities. Bernie suggests that one possible hypothesis for this phenomenon is the cortex trying to find meaning, even with random input. Sensory Perception and Conscious Beliefs: True or False? Jay highlights the fact that perception and cognition do not always accurately represent reality. In terms of increasing our chances of survival, it may be more important that our perception and pattern recognition skills actually work, rather than how accurate they are. Jay also emphasizes that over time, the physiology underlying conscious signals might have been strengthened by providing humans the ability to cooperate and better understand one another, thus further increasing our odds of survival. How neural traffic flow is measured and the limitations of our scientific tools. Bernie makes a distinction between the functional and the anatomical connectivity of the brain. Jay reinforces this by explaining how neural traffic flow can be measured. Scientific tools have greatly improved, but there are still many puzzles that are unsolved. In the final moments of their conversation, Jay shares his belief that one day, consciousness will not seem incomprehensible, although he acknowledges that we still have a long way to go. He emphasizes the immense complexity of the developing brain and the emergence of consciousness. “Good science always raises more questions than answers,” concludes Dr. Giedd. “And consciousness is a great example of that.” Get a 40% Discount for your copy of Bernie Baars' acclaimed new book On Consciousness: Science & Subjectivity - Updated Works on Global Workspace Theory GO TO: http://shop.thenautiluspress.comAPPLY DISCOUNT CODE AT CHECKOUT: "PODCASTVIP" Bios Dr. Jay Giedd is the Chair of Child Psychiatry at Rady Children's Hospital - San Diego and Director of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Dr. Giedd is also a Professor of Psychiatry at UCSD School of Medicine, and Professor in the Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Dr. Giedd was chief of the Section on Brain Imaging, Child Psychiatry Branch of the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). His widely published research and expertise evaluates how the child's brain develops in health and illness, the factors that influence development and how to optimize treatments to take advantage of the child's changing brain. Jay and his award winning work were featured in the PBS 2 part series "Brains on Trial" hosted by Alan Alda. Bernard Baars is best known as the originator of global workspace theory and global workspace dynamics, a theory of human cognitive architecture, the cortex and consciousness. Bernie is a former Senior Fellow in Theoretical Neurobiology at the Neurosciences Institute in La Jolla, CA, and Editor in Chief of the Society for ...
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    36 mins