The creation of the modern hospice movement was a major advance in the care for people with terminal illnesses. Alas, in recent years, hospice has entered something of a crisis, with too many facilities offering inadequate care and some patients receiving short shrift of services to which they are entitled. To get to the bottom of the problem, Wesl…

On this episode, host Robert J. Marks concludes a conversation with psychologist Dr. Joe McDonald exploring the relationship between cognitive psychology and artificial intelligence (AI). The age of AI is upon us and is already changing the way we conduct our lives. What is the optimal division of tasks between humans and machines? In Part 2 of thi…

Many proponents of artificial intelligence operate from an assumption that our own minds and conscious experience can be solely attributed to our physical brains. But is this assumption true? This question is the key focus of the book Minding the Brain, edited by our guests: Angus Menuge, Brian Krouse, and Robert J. Marks. Joining them to discuss t…

The public health sector has been roiled by controversy and political turmoil in the last few years, what with the COVID pandemic, the fight over vaccine mandates, and questions about politicization of the sector. Beyond that, viruses make the news like never before. So, Wesley turned to an expert in both fields to learn more about virology, the go…

On this episode, host Robert J. Marks begins a conversation with Dr. Joe McDonald exploring the relationship between cognitive psychology and artificial intelligence (AI). Dr. Joe McDonald is an expert in cognitive psychology and human factors research. He is the CEO and Principal at Jumpseat Research, a firm that applies cognitive science principl…

On this episode, host Robert J. Marks concludes his conversation with economics professor and author Gary Smith about the hype and limitations of generative AI. Smith is the Fletcher Jones Professor of Economics at Ponoma College and a frequent contributor to Mind Matters News. In this portion of the conversation, Smith and Marks explore the hype a…

What is the “mind”? Is it a pure product of raw brain activity? Or, is it something “other” — that can be experienced, but not measured, observed but not fully defined? Does free will exist? Are our brains just so many meat computers? A new anthology, Minding the Brain, explores these and related issues in depth — both from philosophical Read More …

In this installment of the Mind Matters News podcast, host Robert J. Marks begins a conversation with economics professor and author Gary Smith about the hype of generative AI and its impact on the market. Smith is the Fletcher Jones Professor of Economics at Ponoma College and a frequent contributor to Mind Matters News. Smith argues that generati…

In this episode, host Robert J. Marks continues his conversation with retired major general Bobby Hollingsworth about his experiences in the U.S. Marines and his work advocating for reservists at the Pentagon. Hollingsworth unpacks the meaning of “Semper Fi” in the Marine Corps and the importance of supporting his fellow marines as riflemen on the …

On this episode of Mind Matters News from the archive, hosts Robert J. Marks and Austin Egbert welcome Andrew Clegg to the show to discuss the radio spectrum as a finite natural resource and how to best manage it. The conversation kicks off with an overview of the electromagnetic spectrum and the different frequency bands used for various wireless …

Major General Bobby Hollingsworth discusses his life journey from growing up on a dairy farm to becoming a fighter pilot in the U.S. Marines. He describes how he was inspired to pursue aviation from a young age after seeing his uncle, a WWII Hellcat pilot. Hollingsworth discusses the discipline and work ethic he developed from growing up on a farm,…

Medicine and healthcare have become one of the most contentious sectors of modern society. Doctors have greater scientific knowledge with which to help patients than at any time in history. But at the same time, the field seems to be heading in a more crassly technocratic direction, in which the human being seeking care may become lost in the attem…

Major General Bobby Hollingsworth had a distinguished 38-year career as a U.S. Marine fighter pilot and in leadership roles including commanding the Marine Corps Reserve Support Command and serving as vice commander of Marine forces in the Pacific. After retiring, he was appointed by President George W. Bush to lead the National Committee for Emplo…

On this episode of Mind Matters News out of the archive, we share a memorable conversation with Hal Philipp, an inventor and entrepreneur who pioneered the capacitive touch screen technology that is now used in billions of devices worldwide. Philipp shares the story of his early work on optical sensors for automatic doors and faucets and how it led…

Religious persecution continues to afflict the world. Anti-Semitism abounds. Certain Islamic countries suppress minority faiths while Muslims face persecution in countries like India. Non-Orthodox Christians are persecuted in Russia, while some American Christians claim that they are discriminated against because of living out their faith precepts.…

Is the mind the same thing as the brain? Recently, we’ve been tackling this question known as the mind-brain problem with several of the contributing authors to our recent book Minding the Brain. In a similar fashion, we can also ask if there’s more to the human person than just our bodies. This week we have neurosurgeon Michael Egnor talking about…

On this episode, host Dr. Robert J. Marks continues his chat with Dr. Mihretu Guta about exploring the philosophical challenges surrounding the neuroscientific research on mirror neurons. What the heck is a mirror neuron you ask? As described in Part 1, it’s a type of brain cell that fires when a person observes an action being performed, as well a…

For the last several months, we’ve been interviewing authors featured in the recent Bradley Center volume Minding the Brain: Models of the Mind, Information, and Empirical Science. The book delves into the age-old question: is the mind more than the brain? What was once solely a philosophical and metaphysical discussion has attracted the attention …

People with serious mental health issues often face years, if not a lifetime, of debilitating symptoms. These traumas can sometimes be difficult to treat, much less cure. And that has some people looking for new avenues of care beyond standard medicines, including — controversially — psychedelic substances such as Psilocybin, LSD, and the like. Ent…