This is the 8th instalment in our series The Return of Metaphysics, in partnership with the Essentia Foundation. Read the previous articles of The Return of Metaphysics series. What defined much of 20th-century philosophy was an attempt to overcome …
When it comes to exploration, robots can outperform astronauts at a far lower cost and without risk of human life. Why, then, do so many people conceive of space exploration as the domain of humans rather than robotic explorers? Martin Rees and Donald …
The standard view of evolution is that it’s a process guided by randomness, and hence its results, as amazing as they are, are meaningless. But if we think of our genes as a kind of text, then we can understand evolution as a process of interpretation, and …
Recently, the IAI released Bernardo Kastrup’s piece, ‘The Lunacy of "Machine Consciousness"' where he reflected on a recent disagreement with Susan Schneider at January’s IAI Live debate ‘Consciousness in the machine’. Susan Schneider …
Does consciousness only arise in biological beings? Or, is it possible that a computer that observes, interacts, and represents its own internal state to itself might also give rise to consciousness? These were some of the questions posed to Bernardo …
Steven Pinker is an arch defender of Enlightenment ideals, reason in particular. He sees the contemporary drift towards conspiracy theories, skepticism towards science, and denial of progress as great examples of the irrationality that seems to have taken …
Healthy societies depend on a level of disinterestedness in individuals, professional groups, and institutions. Societies that are seen to valorize disinterestedness to some degree often have healthier institutions than those that don't. In an age …
The human need for meaning, in what can appear a meaningless world, is a cause for extreme pessimism, argued Norwegian philosopher Peter Wessel Zapffe. The little-known thinker and mountaineer gives voice to the darkest, most despairing of human feelings – …
Romantic love is still put on a pedestal as the exemplar of relationships. This is damaging not only to individuals but to society at large. It discriminates against people who find deep love in non-traditional relationships, it weakens our sense of …
“Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence” said Carl Sagan; a dictum which asks us to use the scepticism of Hume to dismiss miracles and false claims. But what counts as extraordinary, and should common sense be our guide to it? An innate …
Most people have heard that Einstein’s Theory of Relativity revolutionized our understanding of time. But most people still aren’t aware of quite how profound the consequences of Einstein’s block universe are, according to which our experience of the …
There is an inflation crisis, and some are blaming central banks for following outdated monetarist policies as a response. But forgetting one of the central tenets of monetarism was what led to the current inflation crisis in the first place, argues John …
Artificial intelligence can be impressive to the extent that people think it might one day acquire human intelligence and, with it, consciousness. But AI can be far more intelligent than humans without ever being conscious. And apart from us having no idea …
The idea that we are living in a simulation has become commonplace. Elon Musk, for example, thinks it is almost certain we are living in a simulation. But the simulation hypothesis comes up against insurmountable problems, and is, in the end, an excuse for …
Following their shock split in 2021, many music fans are now left to discuss the enduring legacy of Daft Punk. The duo, defined by their robot masks and pounding electronic beats, certainly blazed a trail within the music industry. Yet few of us understand …
AI often exceeds what human beings can do, but it’s often only able to master one specific task extremely well. When AI tries to multitask, it has a tendency to abruptly override previously learned information. Researchers have found that using offline …
From politicians taking moral stances to increase popularity, to companies like BP accused of 'greenwashing' to boost revenue, we tend to see the flaunting of virtue as a fundamental perversion of morality. This is mistaken argues Holly Elmore. …
The holidays are coming, as they do every year, and those celebrating are preparing for a series of rituals more or less the same as every other year. But far from being a cause of existential ennui, this repetition is key to what makes the holidays so …
In many ways, Homo Sapiens is a very successful species, a lot more so than our ancestors. The usual story about why we are more successful is that biological evolution resulted in us having more enhanced neural hardware. But that story doesn’t add up …
Gödel’s famous incompleteness theorem showed us that there is a statement in basic arithmetic that is true but can never be proven with basic arithmetic. But that is just the beginning of the story. There are more true but unprovable, or even able to be …
