Color is a visual phenomenon. Some would say that the essence of color is the qualia of seeing color (see Mary the color scientist). Qualia or no, it’s incorrect to make a direct association between color perception and the wavelength or frequency of light. They are related, of course. A source that produces monochromatic light…
Tag: Science
The definition of insanity
The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. This well-circulated quote is often attributed to Albert Einstein. I find it somewhat strange in that that is clearly not “the definition of insanity”. Insanity has multiple definitions. “Sane” and “insane” come from the Latin word for health. In…
Categorizing life
Is a spider a bug? Is a tarantula a spider? Is a whale a fish? All of these could reasonably be answered either “yes” or “no” depending on how these categories are understood. Is there a correct way to categorize living things? The taxonomic hierarchy Why categorize at all? Humans, or our ancestors, identified similarities…
The scientists who publish Wikipedia articles as research papers
I was reading Wikipedia, as one does, and came across the article on hypnosis. The opening section contains this paragraph: During hypnosis, a person is said to have heightened focus and concentration and an increased response to suggestions. Hypnosis usually begins with a hypnotic induction involving a series of preliminary instructions and suggestions. The use…
Most people can’t identify steam
Have you ever noticed that when you take a pot of boiling water off the heat, it stops bubbling but starts steaming profusely? The answer is technically no, because despite appearances that is not what is happening. Steam or water vapor, that is H2O in a gaseous state, is usually invisible. The visible white smoky…
Let’s talk about the singularity
The concept of the technological singularity is a confused one. Here’s the thing about “general AI” or “self-aware AI”—it will be indistinguishable from really good mimicry of self-aware intelligence. When the singularity happens, we won’t notice. This is an excerpt of a YouTube comment on a video about AI technology. I thought about responding to…
What it means to say “lobsters are conscious”
The creationist site Evolution News recently posted an article entitled What Does It Mean to Say “Lobsters Are Conscious”? The thrust of this article is to use research about animal sentience to uphold mind-body dualism while simultaneously downplaying the similarities between human and animal minds. In short, the author Denyse O’Leary is trying to have…
Rabbit hole: New Concepts in Global Tectonics
The New Concepts in Global Tectonics (NCGT) Journal is a pseudoscience publication imitating an academic journal since 1996. Their motto is “accept nothing on authority,” referring of course to the authority of peer reviewed scientific consensus. They publish work largely from “independent researchers,” in other words individuals with no institutional affiliation and potentially no relevant…
“Opinions about the science”
I recently heard a panel interview on NPR discussing how climate change and environmental policy will affect how people vote in November. A self-identified conservative panel member said that people have “different opinions about the science” of climate change. This particular person was not in fact a climate change denier, but was referring to climate…
More evidence against flat earth: star trails
This is a follow-up to my post How we can know the earth is a ball without relying on modern science or traveling long distances?. It is well-known and easily observable by the naked eye (even by a single individual if they use modern travel) that the stars appear to rotate counterclockwise in the Northern…
thoughts on mind 