THUNK

A self-replicating 3D printer might be on the horizon, & with it, the exciting potential of Von Neumann probes! Video: http://youtu.be/aAPmm0EDhtU Show Notes: https://thunkshow.com/2018/04/11/141.-Von-Neumann-Probes.html

You’ve changed a lot, but you’ve got yourself more or less figured out now, right? You and everyone else. Video: http://youtu.be/eCeD7VDJCYY Show Notes: https://thunkshow.com/2018/03/30/140.-The-End-of-History-Illusion-and-Introspection.html

Rhetorical jousting has its place, but so does good faith argumentation. Video: http://youtu.be/WrzCpqgQ5uE Show Notes: https://thunkshow.com/2018/03/16/139.-Good-Faith.html

Whats the harm in a little white lie? Well, if you tell enough of them, you may be able to steer an electorate. Video: http://youtu.be/Z9pyJN6iQG0 Show Notes: https://thunkshow.com/2018/02/27/138.-Misinformation.html

Is a brain all you need to have a functional mind? Is the body just peripheral to cognition? Many researchers think so, but advocates of embodied cognition have different ideas. Video: http://youtu.be/NDw_1UyNTKI Show Notes: https://thunkshow.com/2018/02/10/137.-Embodied-Cognition.html

Engineering is a highly technical field, but it makes use of exceedingly useful and straightforward ideas. Video: http://youtu.be/9AYuXNz_0Fc Show Notes: https://thunkshow.com/2018/01/24/136.-Engineering-Wisdom-Tolerance-and-Failing-Gracefully.html

Aumanns Agreement Theorem suggests that rational folk shouldnt be able to continuously disagree…so why do we? Video: http://youtu.be/hR5Bp7oCidI Show Notes: https://thunkshow.com/2018/01/10/135.-Aumann's-Agreement-Theorem-and-Arguing-to-Learn.html

Is a hot dog a sandwich? Let’s examine one of the hardest problems in metaphysics to find out. Because THUNK. Video: http://youtu.be/WE4mXY42OBM Show Notes: https://thunkshow.com/2017/12/30/134.-The-Problem-of-Universals.html

Power structures: Hobbes thought we’d murder each other w/o ‘em, but there’s a great game-theoretic reason, too! Video: http://youtu.be/HlA0xzm4XaM Show Notes: https://thunkshow.com/2017/12/14/133.-Game-Theory-and-Power-Structures.html

I will never understand why people X. Oh really? Lets turn that dial up to 11 and see what happens. Video: http://youtu.be/wxO2FVh18a8 Show Notes: https://thunkshow.com/2017/11/30/132.-On-Understanding-Others.html

Gettier problems, radical skepticism, the closure principle - knowledge is one hell of a rabbit hole. Let’s take a look at some fun epistemology! Video: http://youtu.be/mxxOanHdpGk Show Notes: https://thunkshow.com/2017/11/15/131.-Puzzles-of-Epistemology.html

Bayesian statistics - what are they? Do I want them? What do they have to do with epistemology, rationality, and prediction? Is it possible theyre happening inside me RIGHT NOW? Video: http://youtu.be/pLcIT3kjsW0 Show Notes: https://thunkshow.com/2017/11/01/130.-Bayesian-Epistemology-and-Predictive-Processing.html

Coping with the knowledge of our own mortality is often tricky – what if we just tried a different angle? #YOLO Video: http://youtu.be/KqhJnbI7DnE Show Notes: https://thunkshow.com/2017/10/18/129.-Immortality.html

Boredom isn’t just murderously frustrating, it’s a psychological trait with surprisingly far-reaching effects. Video: http://youtu.be/AIuME_wu_Gk Show Notes: https://thunkshow.com/2017/10/04/128.-Boredom.html

Predicting the future is hard. Weirdly enough, you can sometimes do better with less information! Video: http://youtu.be/jsYf7vz6fMI Show Notes: https://thunkshow.com/2017/09/20/127.-Overfitting-and-Reference-Class-Forecasting.html

Critical thinking is well and good, but it only really helps if you’re willing & able to change your mind! Video: http://youtu.be/dfLWnbEI59w Show Notes: https://thunkshow.com/2017/09/06/126.-Debiasing-How-to-Change-Your-Mind.html

There’s much ado about “consciousness,” but what even is it? What’s the big deal? How hard could it be? @_@ (At least as hard as FOCUSING THE CAMERA GAH) Video: http://youtu.be/2ZN3BiRV_Xc Show Notes: https://thunkshow.com/2017/08/23/125.-What-Is-Consciousness.html

All work & no play make Jack not only dull, but also evolutionarily disadvantaged… Video: http://youtu.be/NQ0j-gOLNUk Show Notes: https://thunkshow.com/2017/08/09/124.-Play-Theory.html

What makes me “me?” How can I still be me, even though I change over time? Is Starfleet taking applications yet? Video: http://youtu.be/Bbp_e9UT2mk Show Notes: https://thunkshow.com/2017/07/26/123.-Personal-Identity-and-the-Transporter-Paradox.html

Is discovery the work of genius, or an inevitable social process? The data suggest neither; maybe its chance! Video: http://youtu.be/yuezK1FpuR8 Show Notes: https://thunkshow.com/2017/07/13/122.-The-Stochastic-Model-of-Scientific-Discovery.html

Teleology: explaining things via their intended purpose. Turns out we’ve a tendency to use it everywhere. Video: http://youtu.be/A1fKXub-SiI Show Notes: https://thunkshow.com/2017/06/28/121.-Teleological-Bias.html

Networking is an essential part of career advancement in business today, but should it be? Video: http://youtu.be/qHU-kucCxMk Show Notes: https://thunkshow.com/2017/06/14/120.-Business-Networking.html

Un/satisfying gif albums are scratching a very human itch. Where does it come from, and does it mean anything? Video: http://youtu.be/hSjp46Pmcdc Show Notes: https://thunkshow.com/2017/05/31/119.-The-Limits-of-Order-and-Harmony.html

The Antikythera Mechanism: ancient mechanical astrological calendar, & reminder of the fragility of knowledge. Video: http://youtu.be/zM3BDiKQdc4 Show Notes: https://thunkshow.com/2017/05/17/118.-The-Antikythera-Mechanism.html

Why are so many smart people interested in finding alien intelligence…and where should we look for them? Video: http://youtu.be/lzRXKrxavm8 Show Notes: https://thunkshow.com/2017/05/03/117.-SETI-and-Dyson-Spheres.html