• Socrates of Neuroscience: Academic dissonance, unexpected paths & process with Paul Middlebrooks

  • Dec 11 2024
  • Length: 1 hr and 28 mins
  • Podcast

Socrates of Neuroscience: Academic dissonance, unexpected paths & process with Paul Middlebrooks

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    Neuroscience, AI, and Philosophy with Paul from Brain Inspired
    Can we think about education (and age) differently? Was it worth it to give up academia, move into an RV and create a podcast?
    Can we think differently about computation and representation?

    Paul Middlebrooks is no gadfly but as you'll hear, the one thing he knows is that he does not know (as Plato quotes Socrates: "All I know is that I know nothing.") He quit academia and started a podcast and has since become an important voice to many of us through his questioning. #loveandphilosophy #neuroai #podcasting #neuroscience #brain #inspired Shownotes: www.loveandphilosophy.com

    Brain inspired just had its 200th episode ! And this is a celebration of it.
    Paul spent over 10 years as a neuroscientist studying visual decision-making in nonhuman primates. A few years as a technician, 4 years obtaining a PhD, and 6 years as a postdoctoral researcher. Then he left academia and he and his wife sold all their stuff, moved into an RV, and roamed around the country, ending up in Durango for a time. During that time, he also started Brain Inspired. Now Paul is a Special Faculty Research Associate in the Yttri Lab at Carnegie Mellon University, studying the wonders of neuroethology.

    00:00 Introduction and Greetings
    00:06 Starting the Brain Inspired Podcast
    00:43 AI and Neuroscience: A Changing Landscape
    00:59 Philosophical Perspectives on AI
    03:28 Challenges in Neuroscience Terminology
    04:11 Struggles with Scientific Paradigms
    12:30 Exploring Metacognition in Monkeys
    20:27 Transitioning from Academia to Podcasting
    23:45 Recording Single Neurons: A Phenomenological Insight
    32:56 The Motivation Behind the Podcast
    42:37 Selling Everything and Hitting the Road
    42:56 Starting an Online Business
    43:11 The Birth of Brain Inspired
    44:10 Struggles and Financial Realities
    45:03 Returning to Academia
    45:43 The Role of Podcasts in Science Communication
    49:01 Philosophy and Neuroscience
    56:35 The Importance of Models in Science
    01:12:20 The Human Side of Academia
    01:14:31 Love and Legacy
    01:20:38 Final Reflections
    Patricia Churchland Neurophilosophy
    Mark H. Bickhard: Mind as Process, Process Metaphysics
    Join #AndreaHiott and #PaulMiddlebrooks from the 'Brain Inspired' podcast. They discuss the evolution of neuroscience and AI from 2018 to 2024, personal journeys in academia, the influence of philosophical perspectives, and the nuances of love and consciousness. Paul shares insights on the challenges of balancing career ambitions with personal values and family life, and how his podcast has become a bridge for deeper learning and connection in the scientific community. This episode is a blend of professional insights and

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