The “Streetlight Effect”: a metaphor for knowledge and ignorance
Here's the beginning of my latest 3QD piece: There is a story that I think anyone interested in human knowledge ought to know. It comes in many forms. Here is…
What do we mean by “Nature”? And what do we mean by “Human Nature”?
Here's the intro to my latest 3QD essay: I've always had a problem with the word 'nature'. It seems to serve as a label for multiple, mutually inconsistent notions. This…
Where do thoughts come from?
Here's my answer to a recent Quora question: Where do our thoughts come from? Thoughts come from nowhere! And from everywhere! I think both answers contain an element of truth.…
Me and My Brain: What the “Double-Subject Fallacy” reveals about contemporary conceptions of the Self
My latest essay for 3 Quarks Daily is up: Me and My Brain: What the "Double-Subject Fallacy" reveals about contemporary conceptions of the Self Here's an excerpt: What is a…
The Neural Citadel — a wildly speculative metaphor for how the brain works
My latest 3QD essay is a bit of a wild one. I start by talking about Goodhart's Law, a quirk of economics that I think has implications elsewhere. I try…