intellect
Insightful post about reason, abstract thinking, and science, highlighting gifted science fiction influencers.
Your Mind May Not Even Be a Biological Neural Net
My Mind Is Just A Neural Net The important thing to remember about a biological neural network, and one that is often overlooked, is that it is a theoretical functional and possibly structural component of a brain, specifically a human and some non human animals brains. In my view it is something of a stretch to call it a theoretical component given the relative paucity of hard data in support of it, however, I will grant it is stronger than a hypothetical function/structure at least. What has been described in the above linked article is an artificial neural network from which the author has gone on to philosophize about various aspects of the mind and mind/body problem. The cart has been put way before the horse as it were as no where has it been established that an artificial neural network is anything at all like a mind. We do not even know what a mind is like (at least in so far as the existence and structure/function of hypothesized/theorized neural networks). To suggest that by mimicking/aping/copying/taking as a model a biological neural network (which remember is a theoretical/hypothetical thing and may not be an accurate representation at all, and could in fact be completely wrong) with an artificial version, we can replicate or have replicated intelligence or learning or any aspect of a human or non human animal mind is absurd. It is another aspect of the compulogical fallacy and it is patently ridiculous on its face.
By Everyday Junglist4 years ago in Futurism
Utopian Idealism: A Figment of Imagination. Top Story - November 2021.
When a person thinks of a utopian world, one without griefs and troubles, and one where things make seemingly perfect sense and work out to a positive end (for the aforementioned dreamer), it is easy to see why such thoughts would be highly attractive. For some, their ideal utopian world is ultimately fair for all, and when you dig deeper in conversation with them, you find out quickly that not only do they want equal opportunity for everyone (for why should even one person go without when so many have perceivably more than their fair share?) but equal results as well. Others dream of a world where they themselves get what it is they want or feel they have earned in life; this could be a regained relationship with a lost significant other (or better yet never having lost them in the first place), or they might finally get that great job they had been striving for so long. Still, others view a utopian world (and in this case, perhaps a utopian universe) as one without the existential problems of death, illness, and fear of the unknown.
By Jackie Barrows4 years ago in Futurism
Doomsday Diary
Pandemic 2025: The After Math No racism, No sexism, No agism. No isms at all, but yet, to keep in line with American values, EVERYONE has to be free, but keep in mind the phrase is "ESSENTIALLY FREE". How? Infrastructure is what we all came to call it. It was quite amazing. For everyone to be free or "essentially free", we the people decided to give up the ONE thing that we had been flirting with as a nation for generations. Our Privacy! Privacy is completely GONE.
By Elijah Davis5 years ago in Futurism
From LA Traffic to The Boring Company’s Worrisome Future
Introduction On December 16, 2016 Elon Musk tweets about being stuck in LA traffic and decided to do something about it. From his tweets it was clear that he wanted an underground transportation system. A transportation system which enables Tesla cars to travel at a maximum speed of 125miles/hr (200km/hr) would be a dream come true for everyone. Or at least for tesla owners and Elon Musk fans. And naturally everyone hyped up Boring Company’s CGI rendered promotional video about how influential Boring Company will be in near future and how they can solve traffic. From News Media outlets to twitter users started praising Elon Musk for solving traffic.
By The Critical Thinker5 years ago in Futurism
Meridian
Year 2088. In the ink of its page wade waves of century old information. Written by the puppet masters of society outlining the intricate maneuvers that have been used to lace textbooks and media with false information. Whether it be wealth, power, manipulation, or knowledge; everything stems from one source. A guide that has kept all of this information secret for generations. Centuries of powerful elites have used its delicate pages to tighten their grip on the world at large. No matter how much its pages are filled, there always seems to be space for more. The be all end all for chaos and order in society. The truth uncensored. The Little Black Book: The Meridian.
By Aaron Gardner5 years ago in Futurism
The Mystery of the Akashic Records
The definition of insanity is the repetition of doing something over and over again. It’s considered a coincidence when a single train of thought, action, or theme pops up instantaneously. Déjà vu in society today is commonly known as “just a coincidence”. It’s an occurring phenomenon in which individuals believe they have experienced a certain experience once or twice before in the past. This leads to the main question: where does the past, present, and future go when their paths are thus determined, if they exist at all? Only one idea has been created and circulated throughout the course of history. The name of this theory is fairly new and had been only coined in the late 19th century. It is called the Akashic Record Theory. The Akashic Record Theory’s existence is true, due to the beliefs and opinions of individual Theosophists, its connection across religions, as well as its anecdotal accounts across time itself.
By Candis Ruiz5 years ago in Futurism
