On an autumn evening more than half a century ago, in 1971, a television crew set up their equipment in the auditorium of the University of Technology in Eindhoven. The imposing Pels & Van Leeuwen organ, purchased by the Dutch electronics giant Philips, towers over the hall in the background. There are dense rows of folding chairs, with students and… Lees verder »Human Nature, Hash, and Highbrow Smackdowns
In 2001: A Space Odyssey, the spacecraft’s crew decides to disconnect their onboard computer, HAL 9000, after it makes an error that raises doubts about its reliability. But HAL eavesdrops on their conversation and responds with cold precision, methodically killing the crew members by cutting off oxygen and disabling the hibernation systems. One astronaut, however, proves more resourceful than HAL… Lees verder »Why HAL 9000 Feared Death (and Real AIs Don’t)
Have you ever wondered why people believe the moon landing was faked, vaccines secretly poison us, and Mercury in retrograde can ruin your love life? Why does irrationality seem so pervasive? A popular answer, beloved by academics and educators alike, points to fallacies—certain types of arguments that are deeply flawed yet oddly seductive. Because people keep falling for these reasoning traps,… Lees verder »Why Fallacies Don’t Exist (except in textbooks)
A Dutch artist friend of mine, Daan Samson, has created a series of installations he calls “prosperity biotopes”. Though executed in various mediums, they share a unifying theme: the harmony of pristine nature and cutting-edge technology. At his exhibition in Amsterdam, I spotted ants scuttling on an ant plant alongside a sleek steel Nespresso milk frother, its presence as enigmatic as… Lees verder »The Future Used to Be Better. How We Lost Our Belief in Progress
Imagine some people in your neighborhood are mixed up in organized crime—say drug trafficking. Some locals decide to blow the whistle because they worry that the whole community will get a bad reputation, and they start urging everyone else to speak up too. Most people, though, just keep their heads down, understandably reluctant to pick a fight with the gang… Lees verder »When the Police Raid the Neighborhood: The Real Lesson of Science’s Politicization
Picture a computer that surpasses human intelligence on every level and can interact with the real world. Should you be terrified of such a machine? To answer that question, there’s one crucial detail to consider: Did this computer evolve through natural selection? The reason is simple: Natural selection is a brutally competitive process that tends to produce creatures that are… Lees verder »The Selfish Machine: Will Humanity Be Subjugated by Superintelligent AIs?
I have two new pieces on mind viruses on my Substack. If you’re not a subscriber over there yet, consider becoming one! If you want to support my work, you can even become a paid subscriber (though most of my content will be free). Just type your email address in the form below, and you’ll receive all new pieces in… Lees verder »Two new pieces on viruses of the mind
In his book Where the Conflict Really Lies, philosopher and Christian apologist Alvin Plantinga sets out to demonstrate that, appearances notwithstanding, there is no real conflict between science and (theistic) religion. Sure, there are areas of superficial or apparent incompatibility, but underneath we find a deep concord. By contrast, Plantinga argues that the relationship between science and naturalism (the position that the supernatural… Lees verder »Where the Conflict Really Lies. Are Science and Theism Best Friends?
What will the next major world event be? It’s difficult to make predictions, especially about the future, as an old Danish proverb says (variously attributed to Niels Bohr or Yogi Berra or Mark Twain). But here’s one thing I can predict with great confidence: whatever happens, the event will soon spark a range of conspiracy theories gainsaying the official version of events. Some people… Lees verder »The Conspiracy Generator: How to Turn Any News Story Into a Conspiracy Theory in a Matter of Seconds
In memory of Dan Dennett (1942-2024) (From now on new posts in English will be published on my Substack, please subscribe there to receive my newsletter.) Dan Dennett didn’t believe in the myth of the solitary, individual genius, the person who figures it all out by himself (in the mythology, it’s always a male). In his evolutionary worldview, design always… Lees verder »Farewell to a Beautiful Mind