The shift from non-figurative (geometric designs) to figurative art (animals, mostly)—and what propelled it—is one of the big enduring puzzles of cave art.
We discuss a couple accounts of this shift, including
@izzywisher.bsky.social's intriguing suggestion that pareidolia offered a bridge.
Exploring a cave by firelight, it's easy to "see things" in the walls. Bulges and cracks become bison or deer. Could pareidolia have inspired some of our earliest figurative art?
Just one of the topics discussed in our latest episode, w/ @izzywisher.bsky.social!
Listen: disi.org/illuminating...
Our tile for this episode shows examples of the cave art in El Castillo. Image courtesy of Izzy Wisher/Gobierno de Cantabria!
Exploring a cave by firelight, it's easy to "see things" in the walls. Bulges and cracks become bison or deer. Could pareidolia have inspired some of our earliest figurative art?
Just one of the topics discussed in our latest episode, w/ @izzywisher.bsky.social!
Listen: disi.org/illuminating...
Fascinating.
A tour of all things cave art! In which we discuss...
- hand stencils and their missing fingers
- the nonfigurative-to-figurative transition
- archaeology's "sensory turn"
- the puzzling preponderance of animals over humans
- the power of pareidolia
- palimpsests
- children's drawing stages
etc.!
New episode!! 🎙️🎉
A chat w/ @izzywisher.bsky.social about Paleolithic art.
The questions surrounding cave art are old: Who made it? What did it mean to them? But with new methods and frameworks, scholars are starting to see these enigmatic works in a new light.
Listen: disi.org/illuminating...
A book about Lascaux Cave is what awakened my fascination with the paleolithic. This episode was everything I'd hoped it would be ♥️
New episode!! 🎙️🎉
A chat w/ @izzywisher.bsky.social about Paleolithic art.
The questions surrounding cave art are old: Who made it? What did it mean to them? But with new methods and frameworks, scholars are starting to see these enigmatic works in a new light.
Listen: disi.org/illuminating...
I’m on the @manymindspod.bsky.social podcast! We covered a lot in this one - from Herzog’s Cave of Forgotten Dreams, missing fingers in hand-stencils to children drawing in caves. If you’re (somehow) not tired of hearing me talk about cave art, give it a listen! open.spotify.com/episode/2pVl...
Many of us are worried about AI. Many are also interested in what it can tell us about the human mind. Can we separate out our concerns and our scientific curiosity?
A topic discussed in our latest episode, w/ @glupyan.bsky.social & @mcxfrank.bsky.social!
Listen: disi.org/what-can-ai-...
Many of us are worried about AI. Many are also interested in what it can tell us about the human mind. Can we separate out our concerns and our scientific curiosity?
A topic discussed in our latest episode, w/ @glupyan.bsky.social & @mcxfrank.bsky.social!
Listen: disi.org/what-can-ai-...
“what you end up learning by getting really good at predicting the next word is a separate question. And it's an empirical question that is hard to answer with just a priori speculation about what is or isn't possible to learn in that way.”
Episode of Many Minds podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/m...
'Philosophers of Many Minds': A selection of our interviews with philosophers!! 🎙️🎙️
Now on Spotify: open.spotify.com/playlist/6UZ...
'Philosophers of Many Minds': A selection of our interviews with philosophers!! 🎙️🎙️
Now on Spotify: open.spotify.com/playlist/6UZ...
Last call, friends!!
Our (short, anonymous) audience survey is still live for a brief while longer. We would be ever grateful if you could take a few minutes to let us know what you think!
forms.gle/6uUacGZuvfxd...
If you enjoy the cool content offered by @manymindspod.bsky.social, please consider giving a hand to the hardworking team behind it by completing their audience survey! 👇👇
Many thanks for sharing, Diego!!
Last call, friends!!
Our (short, anonymous) audience survey is still live for a brief while longer. We would be ever grateful if you could take a few minutes to let us know what you think!
forms.gle/6uUacGZuvfxd...
As LLMs acquire language, they also develop an understanding of space, math, causality, and more.
What does this tell us about where our own abilities come from?
Just one of the topics discussed in our latest episode, @mcxfrank.bsky.social & @glupyan.bsky.social!
Listen: disi.org/what-can-ai-...
In which we discuss...
- reference and the symbol grounding problem
- LargeLMs vs BabyLMs
- jabberwocky and pattern matching
- the Platonic representations hypothesis
- Quine's topiary
- poverty of the stimulus arguments
- the data efficiency gap between LLMs and human children
- etc.!
As LLMs acquire language, they also develop an understanding of space, math, causality, and more.
What does this tell us about where our own abilities come from?
Just one of the topics discussed in our latest episode, @mcxfrank.bsky.social & @glupyan.bsky.social!
Listen: disi.org/what-can-ai-...
Some interesting thoughts about our latest episode from @drbarner.bsky.social!
disi.org/what-can-ai-...
• many minds | cities, cells and the neuroscience of navigation
• how does the brain support our ability to find our way through the world?
• manyminds.libsyn.com/cities-cells...
cc @kensycoop.bsky.social @hugospiers.bsky.social
#neuroscience #navigation
Some interesting thoughts about our latest episode from @drbarner.bsky.social!
disi.org/what-can-ai-...
What a fun conversation! @mcxfrank.bsky.social @kensycoop.bsky.social !
New episode!! 🎙️🎉
A conversation w/ @glupyan.bsky.social & @mcxfrank.bsky.social.
Questions swirl about what AI will mean for work, education, and society. But cognitive scientists can't help but also wonder: What will AI mean for our understanding of the mind?
Listen: disi.org/what-can-ai-...
A real treat to have this conversation with two of my favorite cognitive scientists!
New episode!! 🎙️🎉
A conversation w/ @glupyan.bsky.social & @mcxfrank.bsky.social.
Questions swirl about what AI will mean for work, education, and society. But cognitive scientists can't help but also wonder: What will AI mean for our understanding of the mind?
Listen: disi.org/what-can-ai-...
Keeping cats once made good practical sense: they helped manage rodent populations. But cats rarely serve this purpose today. Might they be providing other, less tangible benefits?
Just one of the topics discussed in our latest episode, with Rob Dunn!
Listen: disi.org/mutualisms-a...