Mind Matters | Natural and Artificial Intelligence News and Analysis

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Denyse O'Leary
Date
June 26, 2026

Categorized
Neuroscience, Philosophy of Mind

Tagged
A Cleermans et al., Consciousness research, Copernican Principle of Consciousness, Degenerating paradigm, Hans Busstra, Imre Lakatos, Imre Lakatos (1922–1974), Robert Lawrence Kuhn, Tim McMillan, Wiliam Hunter}

Science Can Fully Explain Consciousness? By 326 Theories…

_{To call consciousness studies a degenerating paradigm might be too charitable. How much of it rises to the level of falsification?} _{Denyse O'Leary
June 26, 2026

5

Neuroscience, Philosophy of Mind}

consciousness intelligence, brain neuron generative ai

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Andrew McDiarmid
Date
June 25, 2026

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence

Tagged
AI, education, Essays, human mind, LLMs, Reading}

How to Think Clearly in the Age of AI

_{AI isn’t really artificial intelligence, but simulated intelligence} _{Andrew McDiarmid
June 25, 2026

16

Artificial Intelligence}

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Michael Egnor
Date
June 24, 2026

Categorized
Ethics, Free will, Philosophy of Mind

Tagged
B. F. Skinner (1904-1990), Jerry Coyne (on free will), Noam Chomsky, Robert Sapolsky, Sam Harris}

On Free Will and Morality, Jerry Coyne Doesn’t Walk His Talk

_{This is part of my response to his critique of a talk I gave in March at the 2026 Dallas Conference on Science and Faith} _{Michael Egnor
June 24, 2026

8

Ethics, Free will, Philosophy of Mind}

Dented car wing and fender with scratches and bumps after crash and car accident with hit-and-run driving and absconding shows need for car insurance and safety protection and mechanics garage service

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post

Andrew McDiarmid
Date
June 23, 2026

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence

Tagged
AI, Carl Sagan, Chatbot Claude, Dawkins, human brain}

Skynet Goes Live

_{The most amazing computer in the universe is still your own brain} _{Andrew McDiarmid
June 23, 2026

4

Artificial Intelligence}

Ai chatbot with educational icons connected to a person using a laptop

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post

Peter Biles
Date
June 22, 2026

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence

Tagged
AI, ChatGPT, Consciousness, Technology}

New Study Finds Many Pastors Use AI in Various Ways

_{It's not just schools. AI is in the churches, too} _{Peter Biles
June 22, 2026

3

Artificial Intelligence}

A robot is reading a book in a church. The robot is white and has a book in its hand. The church is empty and the robot is standing in the middle of the room

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post

Robert J. Marks
Date
June 22, 2026

Categorized
Probability

Tagged
Emergent behavior, Featured, Monday Microsofties, Swarm intelligence}

Monday Micro Softy 84: Meet the Followers

_{What happens when everyone in the swarm is a follower?} _{Robert J. Marks
June 22, 2026

6

Probability}

A line of ants marching across a sandy surface with a large area of empty sky above for text.

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Denyse O'Leary
Date
June 21, 2026

Categorized
Philosophy, Physics

Tagged
Dean Rickles, Graham Phillips, John Archibald Wheeler (1911–2008), Leonard Susskind, Multiverse (proponents), Paul Davies, Quantum Mechanics}

Science Writer Takes Aim at Many Universes Theory

_{Phillips sees it as a materialist dodge. But a proposed alternative is definitely not your everyday theory either} _{Denyse O'Leary
June 21, 2026

5

Philosophy, Physics}

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Kenneth Francis
Date
June 21, 2026

Categorized
Psychology

Tagged
Case studies, Demons, Evil, Killers, Sexual abuse}

What Makes an Ostensibly Normal Person Evil

_{How is it possible for these monsters to live ordinary lives in public view?} _{Kenneth Francis
June 21, 2026

6

Psychology}

Conceptual art of think, brain mind, mental health, spiritual, soul and psychology. concept idea art. surreal drawing illustration. isolated on a white background.

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post

Casey Luskin
Date
June 20, 2026

Categorized
Extraterrestrial life, Technology

Tagged
Bipedalism, Casey Luskin, Extraterrestrials (ET), Fire, Homo Erectus, Metallurgy, Michael Denton, Miracle of Man (book 2022), Technology (humans as adapted)}

ETs in UFOs Would Not Exist in a Purposeless Universe

_{Biologist Michael Denton’s work shows that human technology is not an accident of humans simply adapting to our environment} _{Casey Luskin
June 20, 2026

9

Extraterrestrial life, Technology}

Unidentified flying object lands in tranquil forest during bright daylight

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Denyse O'Leary
Date
June 20, 2026

Categorized
Medicine and Health, Neuroscience, Philosophy of Mind

Tagged
Anesthesia, Emery Brown, Michael Egnor, Molly McDonough}

Are We Really “Unconscious” While Under Anesthesia?

_{Modern medics rely very much on anesthesia but how it works is not quite clear} _{Denyse O'Leary
June 20, 2026

6

Medicine and Health, Neuroscience, Philosophy of Mind}

Surgery, anesthesia and doctor with woman with oxygen mask for medical service, operation and procedure. Healthcare, hospital and surgeons with gas, breathing and ventilation equipment for patient

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post

Gary Varner
Date
June 20, 2026

Categorized
Extraterrestrial life

Tagged
ETs, god, Movie, Plot, Spielberg}

Disclosure Day Destined to Disappoint

_{The idea that Spielberg was attempting to destroy Christians’ faith using aliens was overstated} _{Gary Varner
June 20, 2026

7

Extraterrestrial life}

Spooky silhouettes of aliens and bright light in background. 3D rendered illustration.

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News
Date
June 19, 2026

Categorized
Medicine and Health, Neuroscience

Tagged
Brian Edlow, Covert consciousness, Featured, Michael Egnor, Michael Young, Molly McDonough, Neuralink}

A Mystery of Consciousness — Thinking While in a Coma

_{Researchers are finding that many unresponsive bran-damaged people have covert consciousness. The question is, how to help them?} _{News
June 19, 2026

5

Medicine and Health, Neuroscience}

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Wesley J. Smith
Date
June 19, 2026

Categorized
Ethics, Medicine and Health

Tagged
Brandon Ambrosino, Physician as service provider}

Medical Doctors Are Not Simply “Service Providers”

_{Some physicians’ organizations have noticed the trend to see them that way and are pushing back} _{Wesley J. Smith
June 19, 2026

6

Ethics, Medicine and Health}

african american doctor holding tray with medical tools for surgery

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post

Kenneth Francis
Date
June 19, 2026

Categorized
Philosophy of Mind

Tagged
Brain/Mind, Dialogue, Movie, Thoughts}

what makes a thought start?

_{When a doctor is taunted for his lack of knowledge of consciousness and the soul} _{Kenneth Francis
June 19, 2026

2

Philosophy of Mind}

Body Mind Soul Spirit, Motivational Words Quotes Concept

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post

Denyse O'Leary
Date
June 18, 2026

Categorized
Panpsychism, Plant Mind, Politics

Tagged
Animism, Hard Problem of consciousness (as not so hard), Natalie Lawrence, Paco Calvo, Planta Sapiens (2022), Plants as conscious}

Consciousness in Plants Rebrands an Exploded Materialism

_{It’s not so much that consciousness in plants is being demonstrated as that what consciousness means is changing so as to include plants} _{Denyse O'Leary
June 18, 2026

5

Panpsychism, Plant Mind, Politics}

Cozy morning with coffee and a book by the sunny window with plants

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Denyse O'Leary
Date
June 17, 2026

Categorized
Artificial general intelligence (AGI), Politics

Tagged
Accelerationism, Ceci Cohen, Christina Grube, Michael Ramsey, Paul Eckloff, Tycen Proper, UFC Freedom 250 fest terror plot}

Accelerationists Fingered in White House Drone Attack Plot

_{There is nothing like a terror plot, foiled or otherwise, to bring an obscure concept like “accelerationism” to public attention} _{Denyse O'Leary
June 17, 2026

5

Artificial general intelligence (AGI), Politics}

crowd of individuals is sprinting away from a fiery explosion in the city, engulfed in smoke and chaos, showcasing a desperate flight from danger in a dramatic setting

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post

Richard W. Stevens
Date
June 15, 2026

Categorized
Philosophy

Tagged
Featured, god, Michael Shermer, Objectivity, truth}

Shermer’s Truth: When “Myside Bias” Becomes the Method

_{First pass finds easy readability, subpar scholarship, and a polemical agenda} _{Richard W. Stevens
June 15, 2026

6

Philosophy}

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Georgios Mappouras
Date
June 15, 2026

Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Large Language Models (LLMs)

Tagged
Algorithmic novelty, Chess engines, Evolutionary algorithms, Horizontal innovation}

Horizontal Innovation Requires More Than Novel Outputs

_{Current AI systems excel at producing output novelty, but I do not believe they demonstrate algorithmic novelty} _{Georgios Mappouras
June 15, 2026

5

Artificial Intelligence, Large Language Models (LLMs)}

LLM, AI Large Language Model concept. Businessman use tablet and laptop with LLM icons. A language model distinguished by its general-purpose language generation capability. Chat AI.

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Gary Smith
Date
June 15, 2026

Categorized
Business and Finance, Large Language Models (LLMs)

Tagged
Charles Kindleberger (1910-2003), Featured}

Speculation in Large Language Models: The Worst Sort of Business

_{Speculators buy an asset because they expect the price to keep rising, not because they want the income generated by the asset} _{Gary Smith
June 15, 2026

5

Business and Finance, Large Language Models (LLMs)}