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The Latest Breaking News from René Descartes

On Drugs by Justin Smith-Ruiu review – a philosopher’s guide to psychedelics

What if Descartes had melted his brain on acid? Find out in this mind-expanding exploration of thought and consciousness

The Guardian - UK

Where did the wonder go – and can AI help us find it?

French philosopher René Descartes crowned human reason in 1637 as the foundation of existence: Cogito, ergo sum – I think, therefore I am. For centuries, our capacity to doubt, question and think has been both our compass and our identity. But what does that mean in an age where machines…

The Conversation

Are our thoughts ‘real’? Here’s what philosophy says

You can doubt just about anything. But there’s one thing you can know for sure: you are having thoughts right now.

The Conversation

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read the most diverse news in one place.

Ouch! Solving the riddle of pain

We all know what hurts, but why is it so difficult to describe? Emma Cook meets the neurologists attempting to answer one of medicine’s hardest questions

The Guardian - UK

Strange consciousness of comb jellies

If simple organisms like comb jellies can form a single new being, what does that say about sentience?

Salon

Descartes and the deep state: what 17th-century philosophy reveals about Trump and QAnon

What if I were to tell you that the US government and media is controlled by a secret cabal of devil-worshippers who are organising the mass kidnapping of children? Well, according to a recent poll, 17% of Americans believe this to be the case.

The Conversation

Is the Human Brain a Prediction Machine?

In The Experience Machine, philosopher and scientist Andy Clark offers an updated theory of mind.

Reason

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Is the vacuum of space truly empty?

Even though the density of interstellar space is billions of times lower than even our emptiest human-made vacuum chambers, it's not 100% percent empty.

Space

I’ve Been Thinking by Daniel C Dennett review – an engaging, vexing memoir with a humility bypass

The veteran US philosopher renowned for his theories of consciousness is an intriguing figure but too prone to ‘professorial preening’

The Guardian - UK

Sci-Five | The Hindu Science Quiz: On Mathematicians

This week’s Sci-Five quiz is on famous mathematicians.

The Hindu

X marks the unknown in algebra – but X's origins are a math mystery

Even though x is one of the least-used letters in the English alphabet, it appears throughout American culture – from Stan Lee’s X-Men superheroes to “The X-Files” TV series. The letter x often symbolizes something unknown, with an air of mystery that can be appealing – just look at Elon…

The Conversation

What is essentialism? And how does it shape attitudes to transgender people and sexual diversity?

Recent debates around transgender people and sexual diversity have been marked by essentialism, a profoundly conservative mindset with deep links to religious and metaphysical dogmatism. It is a stance through which conservative thinkers seek certainty in a world of change and fluidity.

The Conversation

Can we ethically justify harming animals for research? There are several schools of thought

Neuralink, the biotechnology company co-founded by Elon Musk, has been accused of animal cruelty and is under federal investigation in the United States for potential animal welfare violations.

The Conversation

The gene that explains consciousness

Viruses can leave behind their genetic material after infecting us. Sometimes that has unintended consequences

Salon

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The Guardian - UK

The big idea: are we living in a simulation?

Could the universe be an elaborate game constructed by bored aliens?

People

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