Why “Follow the science” is an empty slogan
Fun: The new bad is “species-ist” language
Ancient tuatara turns out to have two mitochondrial genomes
Apparently, according to some, the tragedy of eukaryote evolution is a difference between men and women
Avi Loeb talks to Sean Carroll at Preposterous Universe about why he thinks Oumuamua represents extraterrestrials
The original ID theorist, whether he knew it or not, was Alfred Russel Wallace
Butterfly flight is much more advanced than thought
Has the Smithsonian converted to creationism about crocodiles?
Michael Egnor: From a medical perspective, “consciousness” adds nothing to the description of mental states
In his view, “ “Consciousness ” is a meaningless term that too often misleads us, and it shouldn’t be used in medicine, neuroscience, or philosophy: “Consciousness” is a very vague term and, ultimately, I don’t think it has any useful meaning at all, apart from other categories such as sensation, perception, imagination, reason etc. Aristotle had no distinct term for it. Nor do I think did any of the ancient or medieval philosophers. Consciousness is a modern term that seems to subsume all of the sensate powers of the soul — sensation, perception, sensus communis, imagination, memory, sensory appetite, etc. … The difficulty in defining “consciousness” is well recognized in medicine. For example, I ask medical students and residents who Read More ›