The meaning of life – a psychologist’s view The search for meaning in life is a familiar challenge to many of us. Some materialist scientists and philosophers consider it a futile search. Prominent atheist Richard Dawkins, for example, claims that … Continue reading Life itself
Don’t Get Mad, but ‘Hangry’ Isn’t Really Angry The morning walk before a holiday meal can feel like an act of advance penance: a show of restraint before the feast, best performed under a pale sun, amid a lonely scatter … Continue reading Anger and emotion
The Myth and Magic of Generating New Ideas Where do ideas come from? That’s a big question. Here’s a smaller one: Where do mathematical ideas come from? I’ve wondered about this from the time I first contemplated being a mathematician … Continue reading The mind in motion
Are brain implants the future of thinking? Almost two years ago, Dennis Degray sent an unusual text message to his friend. “You are holding in your hand the very first text message ever sent from the neurons of one mind … Continue reading Brain-computer interface
Facebook is building tech to read your mind. The ethical implications are staggering Facebook wants to create a device that can read your mind — literally. It’s funding research on brain-machine interfaces that can pick up thoughts directly from your … Continue reading Brain-computer interfaces
Cognitive gadgets Bookshops are wonderful places – and not all the good stuff is in books. A few months ago, I spotted a man standing in the philosophy section of a local bookshop with his daughter, aged three or four. … Continue reading Thinking devices
This physicist is trying to make sense of the brain’s tangled networks At age 16, Danielle Bassett spent most of her day at the piano, trying to train her fingers and ignoring a throbbing pain in her forearms. She hoped … Continue reading Thinking in graphs
