Highlights from Other Science Podcasts

I recently posted a list of some of my favorite science podcasts.  Today I want to mention a few recent episodes that I think are worth listening to.

First, on March 8th, the BBC 4 podcast, In Our Time, did an excellent review of the history of microbiology.  Host Melvyn Bragg is joined by John Dupré, Professor of Philosophy of Science and Director of Egenis, the ESRC Centre for Genomics in Society, at Exeter University, Anne Glover, Chief Scientific Adviser for Scotland and Professor of Molecular and Cell Biology at Aberdeen University, and Andrew Mendelsohn, Senior Lecturer in the History of Science and Medicine at Imperial College, University of London.

Jason Rennie ofThe Sci Phi Show has a reputation for getting interviews with many diverse people, usually on subjects related to philosophy.  This week he posted two episode on the philosophy of science.  Outcast #33 is an interview with Steve Fuller about Thomas Kuhn and Sir Karl Popper, who made important contributions to the philosophy of science during the 20th century.  Outcast #34 is a discussion with Dr. Del Ratzsch about the philosophy of science.  His viewpoint on the conflict between science and religion is different from mine, but it is still an interesting interview.

Has Science Made Metaphysics Obsolete?

Alan Saunders of the Philosopher's Zone

Ever since the logical positivists in the early 20th century, there has been a debate over whether science has made metaphysics obsolete.  Is science all we need to describe and understand the ultimate meaning of reality?  Even those who consider themselves philosophers of science can't agree on the answer to this question.

Metaphysics and its relation to science is the starting point for the discussion on this week's Philosophers Zone​ podcast.  This is an excellent podcast, that is enjoyable no matter what your level of knowledge is of philosophy.  It is put out by the Australian version of public radio and the website includes full transcripts of each episode.

Review of "The First Idea" by Shanker & Greenspan (BSP 6)

Episode 6 of the Brain Science Podcast is a discussion of The First Idea: How Symbols, Language, And Intelligence Evolved from Our Primate Ancestors to Modern Humans, by Stanley I. Greenspan, MD and Stuart G. Shanker, DPhil.

I wanted to talk about emotion, but I generally base the Brain Science Podcast on my current reading; which is why I chose this rather difficult book that touches on psychology, child development, evolution, and theories about the emergence of language and intelligence.

The basic premise which is discussed in the podcast is that emotional signaling is the basis for the emergence of language and intelligence.  Evidence supporting this hypothesis is discussed, as is how the theory challenges long-standing theories about language and intelligence.

How to get this episode:

• Premium Subscribers now have unlimited access to all old episodes and transcripts.

• Buy BSP 1-10 (zip file of mp3 files)

• Transcripts: BSP 1-14

• New episodes of the Brain Science Podcast are always FREE.  All episodes posted after January 1, 2013, are free.  See the individual show notes for links the audio files.

Consciousness: A Brief Introduction to Philosophy of Mind (BSP 5)

Show Notes for BSP 5

Until the last few decades the question of consciousness fascinated philosophers, but was considered off-limits to science; but the discoveries of the last few decades have brought consciousness into the realm of neuroscience.  Scientists such as Nobel Prize Winner, Francis Crick, have proposed that the brain has “neural correlates of consciousness.”  (Francis Crick,  Astonishing Hypothesis, 1994.)  This episode is an introduction to the topic.

After considering the definition of consciousness, I introduce some of the classical questions of the philosophy of the mind:

• The "hard problem" (proposed by David Chalmers):  How does the physical brain create subjective experience.
• Dualism: Is there some aspect of mind that is not physical?
• Free will: If the brain creates consciousness, can we still have free will?

I also introduce several famous thought experiments:

• Mary the color scientist (Frank Jackson,1982).  Chalmers has argued that the subjective qualities of experience, which he calls qualia, can not be explained by what the brain does.
• What is it like to be a bat?    (Thomas Nagel)  Do qualia exist?
• The philosopher’s zombie:  Chalmers argues that a robot could exist that looks and acts just like us but that is “dark inside.”
• John Searle’s Chinese Room:  An argument against what he calls “strong” artificial intelligence."  Listen to John Searle argue against dualism onThe Philosopher's Zone.

Philosopher Daniel Dennett rejects the existence of both qualia and zombies, and argues that the hard problem does not exist.  To me, the interesting question is whether these arguments will be answered or made obsolete by scientific discoveries.

Perhaps the hard problem will disappear.  I consider how the discovery of neurotransmitters has changed our understanding of the role of emotions in consciousness.  We now know that neurotransmitters provide two-way signaling between our brains and the rest of our bodies, producing our experiences of emotions and feelings.  Though there is still a tendency to regard logic as superior to emotion, researchers like Antonio Damasio are showing that emotions play an essential part in decision-making and other aspects of intelligence.

Philosophers are not the only ones unwilling to let go the idea that consciousness is a mystery that can’t be explained; but those philosophers who keep up with the science can help science ask new questions.

How to get this episode:

• Premium Subscribers now have unlimited access to all old episodes and transcripts.
• Buy BSP 1-10 (zip file of mp3 files)
• Transcripts: BSP 1-14
• New episodes of the Brain Science Podcast are always FREE.  All episodes posted after January 1, 2013, are free.  See the individual show notes for links the audio files.

References:

I will continue to introduce books about consciousness on future podcasts.  Susan Blackmore writes books for general audiences, so I have listed a few of hers below.

• Consciousness: A Very Short Introduction,  by Susan Blackmore:  I haven’t read this yet, but it looks like a good first book if you want something short.
• Consciousness: An Introduction, by Susan Blackmore:  This is actually a textbook, but it was one of the first books I read.  It is a very thorough introduction, with a good mix of philosophy and science.
• Conversations on Consciousness: What the Best Minds Think about the Brain, Free Will, and What It Means to Be Human, by Susan Blackmore:  Here Blackmore interviews almost everybody in the field, including Francis Crick shortly before he died.  Here you can read a great diversity of views on the questions brought up in this episode.
• Astonishing Hypothesis: The Scientific Search for the Soul, by Francis Crick.

Review of "The Great Brain Debate" (BSP 4)

The debate about the relative contributions of nature versus nurture has probably been going on as long as humans have wondered about the origins of human behavior.  In his 2004 book, The Great Brain Debate: Is it Nature or Nurture?, Harvard neuroscientist, John E Dowling, describes how recent discoveries about brain development shed light on this controversy.  Episode 4 of the Brain Science Podcast discusses the main ideas of Dowling’s book.

How to get this episode:

• Premium Subscribers now have unlimited access to all old episodes and transcripts.

• Buy BSP 1-10 (zip file of mp3 files)

• Transcripts: BSP 1-14

• New episodes of the Brain Science Podcast are always FREE.  All episodes posted after January 1, 2013, are free.  See the individual show notes for links the audio files.

Send me feedback at brainsciencepodcast@gmail.com.

Review of Eric Kandel's "In Search of Memory" (BSP 3)

Show Notes for Episode 3:  In Search of Memory, by Eric R Kandel

Dr. Eric R. Kandel won the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 2000 for his work with the giant marine snail Aplysia.  His work helped uncovered the molecular mechanisms of short- and long-term memory.

In this episode, I talk about Dr. Kandel’s autobiography, In Search of Memory: The Emergence of a New Science of Mind.  The focus of the podcast is what has been learned about how memory works.  A key principle is that the molecular mechanisms of memory are the same in all animals, including people.

There is lots of good information on the web about Aplysia’s role in understanding learning and memory.  If you know of a particularly good website for non-specialists, please leave a comment on this page.  

How to get this episode:

• Premium Subscribers now have unlimited access to all old episodes and transcripts.

• Buy BSP 1-10 (zip file of mp3 files)

• Transcripts: BSP 1-14

• New episodes of the Brain Science Podcast are always FREE.  All episodes posted after January 1, 2013, are free.  See the individual show notes for links the audio files.

Send me feedback at brainsciencepodcast@gmail.com.

Review of "On Intelligence" by Jeff Hawkins (BSP 2)

I first reviewed On Intelligence by Jeff Hawkins for The Sci Phi Show.  I am including that review here.  Also in this episode, I consider some of the topics I hope to discuss in future episodes.  Besides intelligence, we will be considering consciousness, emotions and feelings, the role of vision in brain research, and what we can learn from people with brain damage and memory.

Please send me email or leave comments suggesting what topics you want to here about.

How to get this episode:

• Premium Subscribers now have unlimited access to all old episodes and transcripts.

• Buy BSP 1-10 (zip file of mp3 files)

• Transcripts: BSP 1-14

• New episodes of the Brain Science Podcast are always FREE.  All episodes posted after January 1, 2013, are free.  See the individual show notes for links the audio files.

Review of "Mind Wide Open" (BSP 1)

This episode is a review of Mind Wide Open: Your Brain and the Neuroscience of Everyday Life (2005) by Steven Johnson.

How to get this episode:

• Premium Subscribers now have unlimited access to all old episodes and transcripts.

• Buy BSP 1-10 (zip file of mp3 files)

• Transcripts: BSP 1-14

• New episodes of the Brain Science Podcast are always FREE.  See the individual show notes for links the audio files.

• Click here to learn more about Premium content.

Here are some other podcasts worth listening to:

• Futures in Biotech Episode 10: Dr. Carla Shatz on the Human Brain: Interview with Dr. Carla Shatz, Department Chair and Nathan Marsh Pusey, Professor of Neurobiology, Harvard Medical School.

• Antonio Damasio, University of Southern California: “Advances on the Neurobiology of Emotion: Taking Stock”   Recorded for the Princeton University Podcasts 2006 on 11/16/2006.

Send me feedback at brainsciencepodcast@gmail.com.

Introducing the Brain Science Podcast with Ginger Campbell, MD

Episode 0 is a brief introduction to the Brain Science Podcast.

I have removed this episode from my feed. The Brain Science Podcast feed is available here.