Marvin Minsky, author of The Society of Mind, was one of the founders of the mathematical theory of computation, artificial intelligence, and robotics. He was the Donnor Professor of Science at M.I.T., where he established the Artificial Intelligence Laboratory. Here he proposed that conscious intelligence may be viewed as a computer system composed of many smaller [...]

Here he notes that shame is a deep-seated affect that is located deep within the mammalian portions of the brain. He makes a point of distinguishing between shame and guilt, insofar as toxic shame can be completely crippling at an emotional level. It is typically the result of early childhood trauma. Toxic shame also results [...]

In this video from 2016, Dr. Neppe defines déjà vu as an “as if” experience that is accompanied by the impression of inappropriateness. He notes that there are dozens of different kinds of déjà vu experience that he divides into four different types. Associative déjà vu is the most common type and is non-pathological. As [...]

In this 2017 video, she elaborates on her interpretation of findings in physics and cosmology that point to the role of information in the origin and expansion of our physical universe. She maintains that, as the universe expands, the amount of information in the universe also increases. This growth in complexity is related to Shannon [...]

John shares how he became a sangoma – a traditional priest and healer in the Xhosa tribe – the same tribe as Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu. The name he was given, Ucingolwendamba, means messenger or connector between people and cultures. A shaman is a spirit doctor of humanity who can help heal the split [...]

Here he presents his research on the case of Katie, the Gold Leaf Lady — an individual who experiences a metallic substance, similar to gold leaf, forming on and around her body. Chemical analysis has shown that the substance is actually brass. Braude goes into some detail explaining why he was able to rule out [...]