
We don't understand matter any better than mind
https://iai.tv/articles/we-dont-understa..._auid=2020
INTRO: It is commonly believed that there is a mind-body problem because we can give an explanation of matter but not of the mind. But according to John Collins, we don’t understand matter either. Materialism was refuted by Newton in the 17th century, and the physicalism which has replaced it is not a substantive doctrine. There are gaps in our understanding of the mental – we still do not have a good theory of what the mind is – but after Newton, there is no ‘mind-body problem’... (MORE - details)
What if we’re alone? The philosophical paradox of a lifeless cosmos
https://bigthink.com/thinking/what-if-we...ss-cosmos/
INTRO: From the discovery of exoplanets to the sheer vastness of the cosmos, we have good reasons to suspect that humanity is not alone in the Universe. Still, we’ve yet to find evidence of extraterrestrial life, raising the possibility that we are a singular rarity in an otherwise barren cosmos. If that’s true, it presents humanity with both a philosophical problem and opportunity.
EXCERPT: For much of human history, we didn’t see ourselves as alone. We filled the cosmos with gods, monsters, and mythical beings — companions to banish the terrifying emptiness. Even today, for many, the void is softened by theology, populated with angels, demons, or spirits. Philosopher John McGraw notes that when humans endure prolonged isolation, they often conjure faces and figures to stave off solitude. Perhaps our modern science fiction, with its imagined aliens and sentient machines, serves the same purpose — a way to fill the silence with something resembling connection.
Science fiction’s thought experiments delve into this need for “others.” Per Schelde argues that aliens and AIs are modern echoes of ancient trolls, elves, and ogres. These beings thrived in a time when untamed forests and mysterious landscapes inspired wonder. Now, with nature “tamed,” space has become the new wilderness — its uncharted galaxies brimming with imagined monsters and otherworldly entities.
Philosophically, definitions rely on contrast — on the presence of an “other” to reflect and define us. In our current condition, bereft of a reflective consciousness to mirror us, science fiction may serve as a means to transcend our anthropocentric view. Aliens and AIs challenge the boundaries of human existence, forcing us to reconsider what it means to be human. As philosopher Mark Rowlands suggests, their stark otherness becomes a mirror: When we stare at aliens or machines, we’re really looking at ourselves. Films like Blade Runner and Spielberg’s A.I. Artificial Intelligence don’t just explore replicants and robots — they probe the essence of humanity.
This yearning for an “other” might also explain our obsession with AI. Could our pursuit of general AI — capable of mirroring human thought — be a subconscious response to the terrifying possibility that we are utterly alone? Perhaps these creations are not just technological marvels but a collective attempt to share the burden of our cosmic solitude, to find company in the vast, vacant Universe — even if we have to build it ourselves... (MORE - details)
https://iai.tv/articles/we-dont-understa..._auid=2020
INTRO: It is commonly believed that there is a mind-body problem because we can give an explanation of matter but not of the mind. But according to John Collins, we don’t understand matter either. Materialism was refuted by Newton in the 17th century, and the physicalism which has replaced it is not a substantive doctrine. There are gaps in our understanding of the mental – we still do not have a good theory of what the mind is – but after Newton, there is no ‘mind-body problem’... (MORE - details)
What if we’re alone? The philosophical paradox of a lifeless cosmos
https://bigthink.com/thinking/what-if-we...ss-cosmos/
INTRO: From the discovery of exoplanets to the sheer vastness of the cosmos, we have good reasons to suspect that humanity is not alone in the Universe. Still, we’ve yet to find evidence of extraterrestrial life, raising the possibility that we are a singular rarity in an otherwise barren cosmos. If that’s true, it presents humanity with both a philosophical problem and opportunity.
EXCERPT: For much of human history, we didn’t see ourselves as alone. We filled the cosmos with gods, monsters, and mythical beings — companions to banish the terrifying emptiness. Even today, for many, the void is softened by theology, populated with angels, demons, or spirits. Philosopher John McGraw notes that when humans endure prolonged isolation, they often conjure faces and figures to stave off solitude. Perhaps our modern science fiction, with its imagined aliens and sentient machines, serves the same purpose — a way to fill the silence with something resembling connection.
Science fiction’s thought experiments delve into this need for “others.” Per Schelde argues that aliens and AIs are modern echoes of ancient trolls, elves, and ogres. These beings thrived in a time when untamed forests and mysterious landscapes inspired wonder. Now, with nature “tamed,” space has become the new wilderness — its uncharted galaxies brimming with imagined monsters and otherworldly entities.
Philosophically, definitions rely on contrast — on the presence of an “other” to reflect and define us. In our current condition, bereft of a reflective consciousness to mirror us, science fiction may serve as a means to transcend our anthropocentric view. Aliens and AIs challenge the boundaries of human existence, forcing us to reconsider what it means to be human. As philosopher Mark Rowlands suggests, their stark otherness becomes a mirror: When we stare at aliens or machines, we’re really looking at ourselves. Films like Blade Runner and Spielberg’s A.I. Artificial Intelligence don’t just explore replicants and robots — they probe the essence of humanity.
This yearning for an “other” might also explain our obsession with AI. Could our pursuit of general AI — capable of mirroring human thought — be a subconscious response to the terrifying possibility that we are utterly alone? Perhaps these creations are not just technological marvels but a collective attempt to share the burden of our cosmic solitude, to find company in the vast, vacant Universe — even if we have to build it ourselves... (MORE - details)