Mind Matters
Science & Technology News
On the Mind Matters podcast, Discovery Institute’s Walter Bradley Center for Natural and Artificial Intelligence considers the implications and misconceptions, the opportunities and limitations, and the applications and challenges presented by intelligent agents and their algorithms. Episode notes and archives available at mindmatters.ai/podcast.
Location:
New Zealand
Genres:
Science & Technology News
Description:
On the Mind Matters podcast, Discovery Institute’s Walter Bradley Center for Natural and Artificial Intelligence considers the implications and misconceptions, the opportunities and limitations, and the applications and challenges presented by intelligent agents and their algorithms. Episode notes and archives available at mindmatters.ai/podcast.
Twitter:
@cnaintelligence
Language:
English
Contact:
(206) 292-0401
Email:
njacobson@discovery.org
Episodes
Restoring Love and Community in a Divided World: A Conversation with Dr. Stephen Post
10/16/2025
Most of us would agree that in recent years, our society has grown more acrimonious, reactive, and violent. What role does technology play in this trajectory? And what can be done about it? On this episode, host Dr. Michael Egnor speaks to Dr. Stephen Post, author of the new book Pure Unlimited Love: Science and the Seven Paths to Inner Peace. Read More › Source
Duration:00:25:46
Love, Lies, and Algorithms: The Dangers of Relational AI
10/9/2025
Today, we hear from Discovery Institute Senior Fellow, podcaster, and writer Andrew McDiarmid as he chats with In The Market radio host Janet Parshall about the dangers associated with humans having relationships with AI. The discussion focuses on what McDiarmid calls “relational AI” – AI chatbots and assistants that aim to mimic human interactions and relationships. McDiarmid discusses how relational AI can Read More › Source
Duration:00:16:42
The Challenge of Definitively Proving Creativity in AI
10/2/2025
On this episode, host Robert J. Marks concludes his conversation with Dr. Georgios Mappouras about his new and interesting paper “Turing Test 2.0: The General Intelligence Threshold.” Here, Mappouras contrasts his newly proposed Turing test with the Lovelace Test, proposed by Selmer Bringsjord of Rensselaer Polytechnic, which says that “Computers will be creative if and when their output is beyond Read More › Source
Duration:00:35:12
Dr. Eric Jones: The Case for a Relational View of Personhood
9/25/2025
“No man is an island,” wrote poet John Donne in the 1600s, and these words still ring true today. However, much of our modern analysis and study of ourselves is turned entirely within. We focus on our needs, wants, and abilities rather than how we interact with others. How much does this individualistic view limit our ability to understand ourselves Read More › Source
Duration:01:34:22
A New Test to Measure Understanding in AI Models
9/18/2025
On this episode of Mind Matters News, host Robert J. Marks continues his conversation with Dr. Georgios Mappouras about his new and interesting paper “Turing Test 2.0: The General Intelligence Threshold.” The idea is whether or not AI is intelligent, and the classical definitions of this come from the Turing Test. In Part 1 of this conversation, Dr. Mappouras explained Read More › Source
Duration:00:29:27
Turing Test 2.0: A Better Way to Test Machine Intelligence?
9/11/2025
On this episode of Mind Matters News, host Robert J. Marks speaks with Dr. Georgios Mappouras about his proposal for a more rigorous test for measuring artificial intelligence. Mappouras argues that the original Turing Test is not enough to determine true intelligence in AI systems, as it focuses too much on simulating human-like conversation rather than demonstrating genuine understanding and problem-solving Read More › Source
Duration:00:35:21
Journey to Longevity: Insights From Inventor Hal Philipp
9/4/2025
Today, hosts Robert J. Marks and Bradley Norris speak again with Hal Philipp, inventor of the modern touchscreen, about his entrepreneurial work in health and nutrition. After selling his technology company, Hal turned his focus to personal health, particularly nutrition. Here, he discusses his unique philosophy on wellness. Philipp touches on the dangers of processed foods, the importance of eating Read More › Source
Duration:01:09:00
Beyond Materialism: Bruce Gordon on the Compelling Case for Idealism
8/28/2025
Over the years, multiple explanations for the nature of reality have been proposed. Physicalists will claim that the only things that exist are physical matter. However, others in the dualist camp maintain that there are non-physical aspects of reality, such as immaterial concepts like numbers, logic, or a person’s mental state. Finally, we have idealists, who hold that the fundamental Read More › Source
Duration:01:13:20
Hal Philipp on The Perils and Profits of Invention
8/21/2025
On this episode, hosts Robert J. Marks and Bradley Norris conclude a three-part interview with Hal Philipp, inventor of the modern touchscreen. In the previous two segments, Philipp discusses the inventions that culminated in his revolutionary touchscreen as well as its aftermath. This week coves some of the lessons Hal has learned over his career, with some questions from a Read More › Source
Duration:00:23:47
Defending a Patent: Lessons from Hal Philipp’s Entrepreneurial Journey
8/14/2025
Today Robert J. Marks and Bradley Norris continue their conversation with Hal Philipp, inventor of the modern touchscreen. In Part 1, we covered several of Hal’s earlier inventions, including the creation of the charge transfer sensor. Today, we’ll be hearing about how the sensor led to touchscreens as we know them today and what happened in their aftermath. Philipp also Read More › Source
Duration:00:23:17
The Accidental Inventor: An Interview with Hal Philipp
8/7/2025
On this episode, hosts Robert J. Marks and Bradley Norris begin a conversation with Hal Philipp, the man behind the modern touchscreen and a prolific inventor with an impressive 98 U.S. patents. Hal shares his story and some of the lessons he’s learned over a career in invention. Hal’s journey began with a stint at the National Bureau of Standards Read More › Source
Duration:00:33:06
Exploring the Immaterial Aspects of Thought and Understanding
7/31/2025
Today, Dr. Selmer Bringsjord joins guest host Pat Flynn to discuss a compelling argument for the immateriality of mathematical objects and the human person. It’s an argument Bringsjord develops in his chapter “Mathematical Objects Are Non-Physical, So We Are Too” in the book Minding the Brain. Building on the work of philosophers like James Ross and John Searle, the argument suggests Read More › Source
Duration:01:37:42
Dr. Michael Egnor Reads From His New Book The Immortal Mind
7/24/2025
On today’s episode, Dr. Michael Egnor reads the Introduction to his new book, co-authored with Denyse O’Leary, The Immortal Mind: A Neurosurgeon’s Case for the Existence of the Soul, now available from Worthy Books. In this reading, Dr. Egnor shares his journey from being a medical student who believed science could explain everything, including how consciousness emerges from the brain and Read More › Source
Duration:00:21:57
Closing Arguments: J.P. Moreland’s Case for the Soul
7/17/2025
Today, guest host Pat Flynn concludes his conversation with Dr. J.P. Moreland discussing arguments for the existence of the soul. Moreland argues that a strong, cummulative case can be made for the soul, and on this segment he reviews some of his top arguments. First, the existence of conscious states that have a “what it’s like” quality cannot be fully Read More › Source
Duration:00:30:06
Which Theory of Mind Best Explains Reality? More with Dr. J.P. Moreland
7/10/2025
Is reality merely the sum of our primitive parts? Or is there something greater that informs and unifies us? On today’s episode, guest host Pat Flynn continues a conversation with Dr. J.P. Moreland to discuss the implications of competing metaphysical theories of the mind and which theory best accounts for the existence of the soul. In this segment, Moreland and Read More › Source
Duration:00:25:53
Foundations of the Soul: A Conversation with J.P. Moreland
7/3/2025
Today, guest host Pat Flynn welcomes Dr. J.P. Moreland to the Mind Matters News podcast to discuss which of the main metaphysical theories can best account for the existence of the soul. Moreland argues that the soul is a real, non-physical entity that has consciousness and exists separately from the physical brain. He presents three empirically equivalent theories – strict Read More › Source
Duration:00:22:16
A Liberating Alternative to Methodological Naturalism in Science
6/26/2025
Today, hosts Robert J. Marks and Angus Menuge welcome Dr. Robert Larmer to discuss methodological naturalism, the topic of his chapter in Minding the Brain, a recent anthology exploring the mind-body debate. Methodological naturalism is the view that science should only appeal to natural causes and never to supernatural or non-physical causes, even if they exist. Dr. Larmer argues that methodological Read More › Source
Duration:00:54:30
A Neurosurgeon Weighs in On Near-Death Experiences
6/19/2025
On this episode of Mind Matters News, host Robert J. Marks concludes his four-part conversation with neurosurgeon Dr. Michael Egnor about his new book The Immortal Mind. In this final segment, the evidence for the reality of near-death experiences (NDEs) is examined, including well-documented cases such as that of Pam Reynolds, whose NDE occurred during a highly-monitored neurosurgical procedure. Marks Read More › Source
Duration:00:45:50
Neuroscience, Free Will, and the Soul
6/12/2025
Join host Dr. Robert J. Marks for the third segment of his conversation with neurosurgeon Dr. Michael Egnor about evidence he presents in his new book The Immortal Mind: A Neurosurgeon’s Case for the Existence of the Soul. Today’s discussion tackles three profound questions. Number one, do I have free will? Number two, can consciousness be duplicated? And number three, what Read More › Source
Duration:00:34:28
From Operating Room to Chapel: A Neurosurgeon’s Journey to Faith
6/5/2025
Today, host Dr. Robert J. Marks continues his conversation with neurosurgeon Dr. Michael Egnor about his new book The Immortal Mind: A Neurosurgeon’s Case for the Existence of the Soul. In this segment, Dr. Egnor describes how a crisis involving his infant son’s potential autism led him to have a profound spiritual experience in a hospital chapel, causing him to embrace Read More › Source
Duration:00:42:57