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Consciousness and the Brain

Consciousness and the Brain

By: Bernard Baars PhD & Nat Geld | Nautilus Press Publishing Group
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Open-minded conversations on some new ideas about the scientific study of consciousness and the brain. Explore the conscious brain with originator of Global Workspace Theory (GWT), acclaimed author in psychobiology, and a founder of the modern science of consciousness, Bernard Baars, and producer and science writer Nat Geld.

Copyright 2020-2026 The Nautilus Press Publishing Group. All rights reserved. Nature & Ecology Science
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
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