Impossible Minds

Author : Igor Aleksander
Publisher : World Scientific
ISBN 13 : 1783262664
Total Pages : 368 pages
Book Rating : 4.63/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Impossible Minds written by Igor Aleksander and published by World Scientific. This book was released on 1996-09-12 with total page 368 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Impossible Minds: My Neurons, My Consciousness has been written to satisfy the curiosity each and every one of us has about our own consciousness. It takes the view that the neurons in our heads are the source of consciousness and attempts to explain how this happens. Although it talks of neural networks, it explains what they are and what they do, in such a way that anyone may understand. This book is also a story. A story of a land where people think that they are automata without much in the way of consciousness, a story of cormorants and cliffs by the sea, a story of what it might be like to be a conscious machine… Contents:Yet Another Book on Consciousness?Who's Afraid of Magnus?Neurons and ThoughtAutomata and BrainsThe Inner Eye of ConsciousnessWho Am I?Beginnings and WordsGive Me a Teddy…Qualia, Instinct and EmotionWhat's the Use of Artificial Minds?Magnus 2030 AD: An Interview Readership: General. Reviews: ”Here is the philosophy of a creative engineer. Igor Aleksander is a pioneer looking for keys to consciousness in intelligent machines he designs and builds. He shares his discoveries and hopes for future developments in this interesting, highly readable book.” Richard L Gregory Emeritus Professor of Neuropsychology University of Bristol ”Machine intelligence is one of the most vital subjects for the future, perhaps the most important of all. No one is better at explaining it than Igor Aleksander, one of the leaders in the field.” Sir Clive Sinclair “… his book provides a popular account of the problem of consciousness. It is a personal view, from the perspective of a plain-speaking and clear-sighted engineer, articulated with all the optimism and confidence that engineers need to pursue the audacious goal of designing intelligent and conscious robots … it is more of an ‘ideas’ book, and was fun to read. It should be an adventure and an inspiration for the human, if not yet the robotic, mind.” Nature “… no one could deny that Aleksander is doing a good job in this book of rehabilitating and making accessible some of the more unreasonable, some might say unfathomable, of AI's tenets: would recommend Aleksander's book as if nothing else, an excellent primer on matters of AI consciousness and philosophy.” New Scientist “… reading ‘Impossible Minds’ is a lot of fun, both for the variety of topics and for the controversies it touches upon. For the beginner it is a good introduction to a fast-growing discipline; for every reader it is a good starting point of healthy argument with the author's views.” International Journal of Neural Systems

Author : Igor Aleksander
Publisher : World Scientific
ISBN 13 : 178326571X
Total Pages : 452 pages
Book Rating : 4.18/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Impossible Minds: My Neurons, My Consciousness (Revised Edition) written by Igor Aleksander and published by World Scientific. This book was released on 2014-12-18 with total page 452 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Impossible Minds: My Neurons, My Consciousness has been written to satisfy the curiosity each and every one of us has about our own consciousness. It takes the view that the neurons in our heads are the source of consciousness and attempts to explain how this happens. Although it talks of neural networks, it explains what they are and what they do in such a way that anyone may understand. While the topic is partly philosophical, the text makes no assumptions of prior knowledge of philosophy; and so contains easy excursions into the important ideas of philosophy that may be missing in the education of a computer scientist. The approach is pragmatic throughout; there are many references to material on experiments that were done in our laboratories.The first edition of the book was written to introduce curious readers to the way that the consciousness we all enjoy might depend on the networks of neurons that make up the brain. In this second edition, it is recognized that these arguments still stand, but that they have been taken much further by an increasing number of researchers. A post-script has now been written for each chapter to inform the reader of these developments and provide an up-to-date bibliography. A new epilogue has been written to summarize the state-of-the art of the search for consciousness in neural automata, for researchers in computation, students of philosophy, and anyone who is fascinated by what is one of the most engaging scientific endeavours of the day.This book also tells a story. A story of a land where people think that they are automata without much in the way of consciousness, a story of cormorants and cliffs by the sea, a story of what it might be like to be a conscious machine …

Author : Gustav Kuhn
Publisher : MIT Press
ISBN 13 : 026203946X
Total Pages : 292 pages
Book Rating : 4.68/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Experiencing the Impossible written by Gustav Kuhn and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 2019-03-12 with total page 292 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How the scientific study of magic reveals intriguing—and often unsettling—insights into the mysteries of the human mind. What do we see when we watch a magician pull a rabbit out of a hat or read a person's mind? We are captivated by an illusion; we applaud the fact that we have been fooled. Why do we enjoy experiencing what seems clearly impossible, or at least beyond our powers of explanation? In Experiencing the Impossible, Gustav Kuhn examines the psychological processes that underpin our experience of magic. Kuhn, a psychologist and a magician, reveals the intriguing—and often unsettling—insights into the human mind that the scientific study of magic provides.Magic, Kuhn explains, creates a cognitive conflict between what we believe to be true (for example, a rabbit could not be in that hat) and what we experience (a rabbit has just come out of that hat!). Drawing on the latest psychological, neurological, and philosophical research, he suggests that misdirection is at the heart of all magic tricks, and he offers a scientific theory of misdirection. He explores, among other topics, our propensity for magical thinking, the malleability of our perceptual experiences, forgetting and misremembering, free will and mind control, and how magic is applied outside entertaiment—the use of illusion in human-computer interaction, politics, warfare, and elsewhere. We may be surprised to learn how little of the world we actually perceive, how little we can trust what we see and remember, and how little we are in charge of our thoughts and actions. Exploring magic, Kuhn illuminates the complex—and almost magical—mechanisms underlying our daily activities.

Author : Igor Aleksander
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9781783265701
Total Pages : pages
Book Rating : 4.01/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Impossible Minds written by Igor Aleksander and published by . This book was released on 2015 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Author : Robert Quine
Publisher : Adams Media
ISBN 13 : 9781440506260
Total Pages : 256 pages
Book Rating : 4.64/5 ( download)

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Download or read book 106 Impossible Things Before Breakfast written by Robert Quine and published by Adams Media. This book was released on 2010-11-14 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Alice laughed. 'One can't believe impossible things.' 'I dare say you haven't had much practice,' said the Queen... 'Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.' ~Lewis Carroll, Alice Through the Looking-Glass Could there be a knife that never dulls? A gun with no moving parts? A broken clock that tells time? Here, Dr. Michael Laufer and John Nolan reply, "Of course!" Through these conundrums, they show how to unleash the creative energies of the brain to solve even the knottiest enigmas. For instance, one could: Reinterpret the problem. Change the rules. Change the solution. Whether it's showering without water, driving a car without an engine, or using a computer without electricity, these are high-level challenges for breakout thinking. With this book, you'll stretch your minds and be primed to solve the next "impossible" problem before lunchtime.

Author : Karl S. Rosengren
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
ISBN 13 : 9780521665872
Total Pages : 444 pages
Book Rating : 4.76/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Imagining the Impossible written by Karl S. Rosengren and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2000-05-29 with total page 444 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This volume, first published in 2000, is about the development of human thinking that stretches beyond the ordinary boundaries of reality. Various research initiatives emerged in the decade prior to publication exploring such matters as children's thinking about imaginary beings, magic and the supernatural. The purpose of this book is to capture something of the larger spirit of these efforts. In many ways, this new work offers a counterpoint to research on the development of children's domain-specific knowledge about the ordinary nature of things that has suggested that children become increasingly scientific and rational over the course of development. In acquiring an intuitive understanding of the physical, biological or psychological domains, even young children recognize that there are constraints on what can happen. However, once such constraints are acknowledged, children are in a position to think about the violation of those very same constraints - to contemplate the impossible.

Author : Basak Agaoglu
Publisher : Penguin
ISBN 13 : 0399548297
Total Pages : 32 pages
Book Rating : 4.91/5 ( download)

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Download or read book The Almost Impossible Thing written by Basak Agaoglu and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2017-04-04 with total page 32 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Nothing is so impossible that it shouldn't be tried. Even if you're a bunny hoping to fly. A tribute to teamwork, big dreams, perseverance, and those who don't listen when others say their goals are unreachable. The person who says it cannot be done should not interrupt the person doing it.--Chinese Proverb Most of us want to fly--even if we know we're rooted to the ground. Especially if we know we're rooted to the ground! So when a rabbit spots a bird soaring in beautiful, colorful loop-de-loops, a dream is born. Though her friends tell her "You can't do that!" our rabbit is undeterred. Through comical ski jumps, trampoline bounces, swings on the trapeze, and experiments with kites . . . somehow, some way, there must be a way to fly. And there is! Teamwork. Debut author/illustrator Basak Agaoglu delivers a story of faith, persistence, and humor--along with some of the most adorable, child-friendly art ever seen. For fans of Extremely Cute Animals Operating Heavy Machinery.

Author : Albert J. Bernstein
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9780345367136
Total Pages : 276 pages
Book Rating : 4.38/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Dinosaur Brains written by Albert J. Bernstein and published by . This book was released on 1990 with total page 276 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book will help you deal with your employees and co-workers by giving you the keys to understanding the way their brains--and yours--work. Using the metaphor of the dinosaur brain, the authors detail a whole range of human responses dictated by a part of the human brain sometimes beyond our control. They then show you what to expect from that part of the brain and how to be prepared for it, including such problems as turf battles, reflexive competitiveness, and office courtship. Outlines the rules of lizard logic, and how to use them to your advantage.

Author : Victoria Song
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
ISBN 13 : 1637630050
Total Pages : 97 pages
Book Rating : 4.51/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Bending Reality written by Victoria Song and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2021-08-24 with total page 97 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Bending Reality is the innovative process used by billionaires, tech leaders, and the world's most successful people to make the impossible . . . probable. Victoria Song teaches readers how to unlock the hidden power within their bodies to get what they want. After achieving success but lacking fulfillment as a student at Yale University and Harvard Business School, and then as a Forbes 30 Under 30 Venture Capitalist, Victoria set off on an unusual quest to study, train, and work with more than 24 of the best coaches, therapists, and healers in the world. She then deployed the skills and tools she'd learned with a diverse group of the world's highest performers. Through it all, she's discovered the codes that enable her clients to bend reality toward the directions they want. By accessing this extraordinary ability, Victoria's clients have sold a company for 4 billion dollars, grown revenue 1,000% during a pandemic, and pivoted to design a more effective COVID-19 vaccine. Victoria reveals the meta-framework behind peak performance, self-development, therapy, and meditation that is accessible for all. Whether you've studied these areas closely or this is the first book you've read on this topic, you'll have a front row seat to how the world's elite use this knowledge to achieve more while doing less. In this fast-paced guide to success, you will learn how to: Bend reality by mastering two states of being that most people aren't even aware of. Navigate change and face the unknown like the greatest leaders. Access creative downloads that artists, musicians, and geniuses receive. Make your own luck--there's literally a recipe! Find your unique "zone of genius" and live from it every day. Packed with powerful tools and exercises, Bending Reality will move you beyond intellectual understanding to embodiment. This is not another mindset book. You're ready for Bending Reality if you realize it's time to go beyond the mind and harness the full capacity of your consciousness to make quantum leaps in every area of your life. After learning how to bend reality, you will no longer need to memorize rules, tips, or tricks, but you will embody the essence of a remarkable leader who can make the impossible--probable.

Author : Andrea Moro
Publisher : MIT Press
ISBN 13 : 0262549239
Total Pages : 157 pages
Book Rating : 4.33/5 ( download)

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Download or read book Impossible Languages written by Andrea Moro and published by MIT Press. This book was released on 2023-09-19 with total page 157 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An investigation into the possibility of impossible languages, searching for the indelible “fingerprint” of human language. Can there be such a thing as an impossible human language? A biologist could describe an impossible animal as one that goes against the physical laws of nature (entropy, for example, or gravity). Are there any such laws that constrain languages? In this book, Andrea Moro—a distinguished linguist and neuroscientist—investigates the possibility of impossible languages, searching, as he does so, for the indelible “fingerprint” of human language. Moro shows how the very notion of impossible languages has helped shape research on the ultimate aim of linguistics: to define the class of possible human languages. He takes us beyond the boundaries of Babel, to the set of properties that, despite appearances, all languages share, and explores the sources of that order, drawing on scientific experiments he himself helped design. Moro compares syntax to the reverse side of a tapestry revealing a hidden and apparently intricate structure. He describes the brain as a sieve, considers the reality of (linguistic) trees, and listens for the sound of thought by recording electrical activity in the brain. Words and sentences, he tells us, are like symphonies and constellations: they have no content of their own; they exist because we listen to them and look at them. We are part of the data.