Sean Carroll's Mindscape: Science, Society, Philosophy, Culture, Arts, and Ideas

Consciousness is easier to possess than to define. One thing we can do is to look into the brain and see what lights up when conscious awareness is taking place. A complete understanding of this would be known as the "neural correlates of consciousness." Once we have that, we could hopefully make progress on developing a theoretical picture of what consciousness is and why it happens. Today's guest, Christof Koch, is a leader in the search for neural correlates and an advocate of a particular approach to consciousness, Integrated Information Theory [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Integrated_information_theory]. Blog post with transcript: https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2025/03/24/309-christof-koch-on-consciousness-and-integrated-information/ [https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2025/03/24/309-christof-koch-on-consciousness-and-integrated-information/] Support Mindscape on Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/seanmcarroll]. Christof Koch was awarded a Ph.D. from the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics. He is currently a Meritorious Investigator at the Allen Institute for Brain Science, where he was formerly president and chief scientist, and Chief Scientist at the Tiny Blue Dot Foundation [https://www.tinybluedotfoundation.org/]. He is the author of several books, most recently Then I Am Myself the World - What Consciousness Is and How to Expand It [https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/christof-koch/then-i-am-myself-the-world/9781541602816/?lens=basic-books]. * Web site [https://christofkoch.com/] * Allen Center web page [https://alleninstitute.org/person/christof-koch/] * Google Scholar publications [https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=JYt9T_sAAAAJ&hl=en] * Amazon author page [https://www.amazon.com/stores/Christof-Koch/author/B001IZVC1C?ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true&ccs_id=573766f5-d54a-433a-98ea-075c00efa319] * Wikipedia [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christof_Koch] See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy [https://art19.com/privacy] and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info [https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info].

We often study cognition in other species, in part to learn about modes of thinking that are different from our own. Today's guest, psychologist/philosopher Alison Gopnik, argues that we needn't look that far: human children aren't simply undeveloped adults, they have a way of thinking that is importantly distinct from that of grownups. Children are explorers with ever-expanding neural connections; adults are exploiters who (they think) know how the world works. These studies have important implications for the training and use of artificial intelligence. Blog post with transcript: https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2025/03/17/308-alison-gopnik-on-children-ai-and-modes-of-thinking/ [https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2025/03/17/308-alison-gopnik-on-children-ai-and-modes-of-thinking/] Support Mindscape on Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/seanmcarroll]. Alison Gopnik received her D.Phil in experimental psychology from Oxford University. She is currently a professor of psychology and affiliate professor of philosophy at the University of California, Berkeley. Among her awards are the Association for Psychological Science Lifetime Achievement Award, the Rumelhart Prize for Theoretical Foundations of Cognitive Science, and a Guggenheim Fellowship. She is a past President of the Association for Psychological Science. She is the author of The Scientist in the Crib, The Philosophical Baby, and The Gardener and the Carpenter, among other works. * Web site [http://alisongopnik.com/] * Lab web site [https://www.gopniklab.berkeley.edu/] * Berkeley web page [https://psychology.berkeley.edu/people/alison-gopnik] * Google Scholar publications [https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=2tt6ZJ0AAAAJ&hl=en] * Amazon author page [https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B001IXROIO] * Wikipedia [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alison_Gopnik] See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy [https://art19.com/privacy] and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info [https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info].

Welcome to the March 2025 Ask Me Anything episode of Mindscape! These monthly excursions are funded by Patreon supporters [https://www.patreon.com/seanmcarroll] (who are also the ones asking the questions). We take questions asked by Patreons, whittle them down to a more manageable number -- based primarily on whether I have anything interesting to say about them, not whether the questions themselves are good -- and sometimes group them together if they are about a similar topic. Enjoy! Link to the 2012 Moving Naturalism Forward [https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/naturalism2012/] workshop, mentioned in the episode. Blog post with questions and full transcript: https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2025/03/10/ama-march-2025/ [https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2025/03/10/ama-march-2025/] Support Mindscape on Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/seanmcarroll]. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy [https://art19.com/privacy] and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info [https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info].

A lot of science goes into crafting the perfect cocktail. Balancing sweet and bitter notes, providing the right amount of aeration and dilution, getting it to just the right temperature and keeping it that way. And even if you have no interest in cocktails as such, the general principles extend to other activities in art and in life. I talk to scientist-turned-mixologist Kevin Peterson about how to think about the simple magic of a perfect drink. Blog post with transcript: https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2025/03/03/307-kevin-peterson-on-the-theory-of-cocktails/ [https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2025/03/03/307-kevin-peterson-on-the-theory-of-cocktails/] Support Mindscape on Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/seanmcarroll]. Kevin Peterson received a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan. He is currently co-owner of both Castalia [https://www.castaliacocktails.com/] (an experimental craft cocktail bar) and Sfumato Fragrances [https://sfumatofragrances.com/] in Detroit, Michigan. He is the author of Cocktail Theory: A Sensory Approach to Transcendent Cocktails [https://sfumatofragrances.com/products/cocktail-theory]. Mindscape Petrichor Negroni (from the episode) * 1 part gin distilled from vetiver [https://www.britannica.com/plant/vetiver] * (alternative: herbaceous gin such as Moletto [https://www.molettogin.com/]) * 1 part St. George Bruto Americano [https://stgeorgespirits.com/spirits/bruto-americano/] * 1 part Antica Formula [https://www.carpano.com/en/prodotto/antica-formula-2/?age-verified=d1e48f1b60] vermouth Stir over an ice cube, express with orange peel (not shown). See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy [https://art19.com/privacy] and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info [https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info].

It is commonplace to refer to the Earth's oceans as vast and largely unexplored. But we do understand some aspects, and improving that understanding is crucial to ensuring the continued viability and success of life on this planet. The oceans are a paradigmatic complex system: there are many components, distinct but mutually interacting, that add up to a nuanced whole. We talk with ocean physicist Helen Czerski about what the ocean is and how it's changing. Blog post with transcript: https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2025/02/24/306-helen-czerski-on-our-energetic-oceans/ [https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2025/02/24/306-helen-czerski-on-our-energetic-oceans/] Support Mindscape on Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/seanmcarroll]. Helen Czerski received her Ph.D. in physics from the University of Cambridge. She is currently an Associate Professor at the Department of Mechanical Engineering at University College London. She is the author of several books, most recently The Blue Machine: How the Ocean Works [https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Machine-How-Ocean-Works-ebook/dp/B0BWGY28Z4?ref_=ast_author_dp]. She is a frequent television presenter for the BBC and elsewhere. * Web site [https://www.helenczerski.net/] * UCL web page [https://profiles.ucl.ac.uk/42545-helen-czerski] * Google Scholar publications [https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C21&q=helen+czerski&btnG=&oq=helen+] * Wikipedia [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helen_Czerski] * Amazon author page [https://www.amazon.com/stores/Helen-Czerski/author/B01J95066E] * Bluesky [https://bsky.app/profile/helenczerski.bsky.social] See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy [https://art19.com/privacy] and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info [https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info].