Are we closer to understanding the nature of consciousness than we were twenty years ago? Ever since Chalmers posed ‘the hard problem’ of consciousness, of why sentient organisms have subjective experiences, the debate has gone in circles. Papers on the subject variously conclude, There really is a hard problem, there […]
science
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(Editor’s note: The following introductory text is taken from webtalkradio.net) In Greek mythology, Procrustes was a robber who forced travelers to lie down in a bed and then made them fit by stretching or shortening their limbs. (Procrustes eventually suffered the same fate at the hands of Theseus). In Thomas […]
Is there a relationship between how we perceive human beings (biological machines vs. spiritual beings) and in the way we treat each other? Are die-hard materialists who see human beings are nothing but biological machines more likely to be tolerant of torture, euthanasia and selling human organs for profit? If […]
Here Mary Midgley, now in her 90s, reflects on the profound implications of attempting to abolish death. The more one thinks it through, the less desirable the prospect seems. An earlier version of this article appeared in Philosophy Now, March-April 2012 Till lately, people discussing death didn’t have to consider […]
On May 12 the Prince of Wales spoke in London to the Global Leaders Conference on One Health and Antimicrobial Resistance. HRH raised the issue of the overuse of antibiotics especially in the raising of farm animals, a situation that has led to antibiotic resistance in the human population in […]
We take it for granted that we are self-aware. That we are conscious of ourselves. But how far back in human evolution can this self-awareness be traced? One way of finding out is to look for the earliest graves. Human beings are the only species that bury their dead. Not […]
We’re used to thinking of our bodies as bio-chemical systems that our cells are maintained by chemical processes. When we visit a doctor, the treatment usually comes in the form of a pill, something to change our chemistry. What about electricity? What role does it play in biological systems? The […]
Do you have a purpose, in your life, or in your work, or both? Perhaps this is something you never ask yourself. Or perhaps it changes from day to day as you try to grapple with the challenges that life seems to throw at you. I have found that having […]
ABSTRACT The popular view of the inherent conflict between science and the occult has been rendered obsolete by recent advances in the history of science. Yet, these historiographical revisions have gone unnoticed in the public understanding of science and public education at large. Particularly, reconstructions of the formation of modern […]
Do dolphins have language skills similar to ours? Do the vocalizations of bottlenose dolphins mean anything? Are the dolphins conveying useful information or just having a good time? While primates such as chimpanzees can be taught sign language, there is a great deal of scepticism as to whether they are […]