This great BBC clip shows how certain animals can be put into hypnotic trance. Evolutionary biologists theorize that these states may be used as a defense mechanism to avoid predators.
As you will see in the video, these animals become very still and almost “dead-like” after they enter state. Since most predators react to their prey based on movement, they often overlook their targets when these animals enter trance. In this video you will see hypnosis applied to chickens and alligators:
“The human brain contains over 100 billion neurons, and roughly 1 quintillion synapses. But how did it all get started? How did the first nervous systems, the first brains evolve? How did a bunch of simple cells evolve into a biological computer?”
Marvin Minsky is an American cognitive scientist in the field of artificial intelligence (AI), co-founder of Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s AI laboratory, and author of several texts on AI and philosophy.
“Listen closely — Marvin Minsky’s arch, eclectic, charmingly offhand talk on health, overpopulation and the human mind is packed with subtlety: wit, wisdom and just an ounce of wily, is-he-joking? advice.”
Personal statement:
When I first saw this video I was immediately attracted to Minsky’s thirst for knowledge and out-of-breath enthusiasm for new ideas and new ways of thinking. So much so that I immediately went to my local library and picked up his book The Emotion Machine (which is where I got the title for this blog). In the book, Minsky critiques many of the current cognitive theories about how the mind works, and specifically focuses on the subject of intelligence. Minsky argues that emotions, contrary to popular belief, play a crucial role in certain types of intelligence. Instead of thinking of emotions as something “lesser” or “more primitive” than rational thought, Minsky says emotions are different “ways to think” about different “problem types” that exist in the world. Minsky believes that the next step in building truly intelligent machines will include incorporating this key concept into the future research of artificial intelligence.
Dr. V.S. Ramachandran is a well-known neurologist. He is currently the Director of the Center for Brain and Cognition, as well as a professor in the Psychology Department and Neurosciences Program at the University of California, San Diego.
Ramachandran is best known for his work on neurological conditions such as phantom limbs, autism, neglect, his invention of the mirror box (a tool used to alleviate suffering from those who suffer from phantom limbs), and his more recent work on synesthesia.
For more on the work of V.S. Ramachandran I recommend his video lecture at TED.com and his article printed in Scientific America about synesthesia, entitled “Hearing Colors, Tasting Shapes.” (PDF file)
An interview with Australian philosopher and professor David Chalmers discussing his theory of consciousness, the hard problem, and the explanatory gap.
Chalmers also has a wonderful online collection of academic papers, philosophical essays, and scientific articles over at Consc.net/online: a incredible resource for anyone interested in cognitive psychology, neuroscience, artificial intelligence, or philosophy of mind.
I have also written about my personal thoughts on this subject in some of my articles. In particular I recommend:
1. The Hard Problem Of Consciousness: Is Science In Need Of Another Cognitive Revolution?
2. The Epistemic Gap, Psychology, and The Scientific Method.
3. Thoughts On The Nature of Reality, Experience and Meditation