Pinned
Evan Thompson
@evanthompson.bsky.social
· Nov 22
Since so many new people are arriving to bluesky these days, I'm just going to pin this to my profile for a while.
@amandagefter.bsky.social writing in Nautilus about a meeting on intelligence in which I participated last year in Tuscany.
What happens when you take a handful of scientists and philosophers, stick them in a 500-year-old church in the middle of Tuscany, and ask them to redefine "intelligence"? I had the transformative experience of finding out. nautil.us/what-is-inte...
What Is Intelligence?
What Is Intelligence? At a church in Italy, we sought to shed an old definition for one that could save us.
nautil.us
October 23, 2025 at 11:17 PM
@amandagefter.bsky.social writing in Nautilus about a meeting on intelligence in which I participated last year in Tuscany.
Go glial cells! More and more evidence keeps pouring in that the cognitive brain is not just a neuronal network. www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Spontaneous activity of astrocytes is a stochastic functional signal for memory consolidation | PNAS
In the absence of explicit neuronal inputs, the glial cell astrocytes exhibit recurring
intracellular Ca2+ fluctuations, primarily localized at thi...
www.pnas.org
October 21, 2025 at 4:35 PM
Go glial cells! More and more evidence keeps pouring in that the cognitive brain is not just a neuronal network. www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Reposted by Evan Thompson
New preprint of a theoretical paper with @evanthompson.bsky.social. We discuss using information theoretic approaches to test the role of emergent interaction dynamics hypothesized by #ParticipatorySensemaking on attention and agency — using dance improv as a laboratory: osf.io/preprints/ps...
OSF
osf.io
October 21, 2025 at 3:49 PM
New preprint of a theoretical paper with @evanthompson.bsky.social. We discuss using information theoretic approaches to test the role of emergent interaction dynamics hypothesized by #ParticipatorySensemaking on attention and agency — using dance improv as a laboratory: osf.io/preprints/ps...
The Third Entity: Participatory Sense-Making, Agency, and Attentional Dynamics osf.io/preprints/ps... New paper by @beckety.bsky.social and yours truly.
OSF
osf.io
October 21, 2025 at 3:05 PM
The Third Entity: Participatory Sense-Making, Agency, and Attentional Dynamics osf.io/preprints/ps... New paper by @beckety.bsky.social and yours truly.
Reposted by Evan Thompson
Excited to learn about the Blind Spot podcast with @evanthompson.bsky.social @adamfrank4.bsky.social and Marcelo Gleiser.
October 6, 2025 at 7:29 PM
Excited to learn about the Blind Spot podcast with @evanthompson.bsky.social @adamfrank4.bsky.social and Marcelo Gleiser.
Death, Grief, and Radical Hope by @beckety.bsky.social open.substack.com/pub/becketto...
Death, Grief, and Radical Hope
Crepe myrtle’s confetti of flowers.
open.substack.com
August 27, 2025 at 6:22 PM
Death, Grief, and Radical Hope by @beckety.bsky.social open.substack.com/pub/becketto...
Reposted by Evan Thompson
Grappling w my identity as a reluctant enactivist...
My favorite formulation of the approach so far is @xabibaran.bsky.social's "Autonomy and enactivism: Towards a theory of sensorimotor autonomous agency" (2017)
link.springer.com/content/pdf/...
IMO, it does three great things:
My favorite formulation of the approach so far is @xabibaran.bsky.social's "Autonomy and enactivism: Towards a theory of sensorimotor autonomous agency" (2017)
link.springer.com/content/pdf/...
IMO, it does three great things:
link.springer.com
July 18, 2025 at 9:20 AM
Grappling w my identity as a reluctant enactivist...
My favorite formulation of the approach so far is @xabibaran.bsky.social's "Autonomy and enactivism: Towards a theory of sensorimotor autonomous agency" (2017)
link.springer.com/content/pdf/...
IMO, it does three great things:
My favorite formulation of the approach so far is @xabibaran.bsky.social's "Autonomy and enactivism: Towards a theory of sensorimotor autonomous agency" (2017)
link.springer.com/content/pdf/...
IMO, it does three great things:
Reposted by Evan Thompson
How ChatGPT is transforming agency:
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
If you are interested on the ontological status of LLMs or want to get a better technical grasp on their internal functioning (without a maths or engineering background) this might be a good starting point.
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
If you are interested on the ontological status of LLMs or want to get a better technical grasp on their internal functioning (without a maths or engineering background) this might be a good starting point.
Transforming agency: On the mode of existence of large language models - Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences
Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences - This paper investigates the ontological characterization of Large Language Models (LLMs) like ChatGPT. Between inflationary and deflationary accounts, we...
link.springer.com
August 23, 2025 at 2:09 PM
How ChatGPT is transforming agency:
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
If you are interested on the ontological status of LLMs or want to get a better technical grasp on their internal functioning (without a maths or engineering background) this might be a good starting point.
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
If you are interested on the ontological status of LLMs or want to get a better technical grasp on their internal functioning (without a maths or engineering background) this might be a good starting point.
So much for the Indian philosophical trope "horns of a rabbit" (used to signify nonexistence). www.cbc.ca/news/science...
Rabbits with strange horn-like growths spotted in Colorado | CBC News
Photos of rabbits in Colorado with grotesque, horn-like growths have been circulating on social media. Scientists say the photos are literally viral.
www.cbc.ca
August 14, 2025 at 7:23 PM
So much for the Indian philosophical trope "horns of a rabbit" (used to signify nonexistence). www.cbc.ca/news/science...
Reposted by Evan Thompson
🤔 How can we study #consciousness between people, at the social level? 🧠✨ New #preprint co-led by Anne Monnier & Lena Adel: “Now is the Time: Operationalizing Generative Neurophenomenology through Interpersonal Methods” 🧵(1/3)
August 8, 2025 at 3:16 PM
🤔 How can we study #consciousness between people, at the social level? 🧠✨ New #preprint co-led by Anne Monnier & Lena Adel: “Now is the Time: Operationalizing Generative Neurophenomenology through Interpersonal Methods” 🧵(1/3)
Reposted by Evan Thompson
Algorithms don't play & animals only play when they feel safe. ❤️ Ep 65 with Julian Kiverstein (Amsterdam Medical) looks at how play relates to surprise, risk, & our capacity to handle uncertainty. New insights on Active Inference & the role of The Embodied Mind #EmbodiedMInd #play #loveandphilosophy
Play and the Mental Sweet Spot
Listen now (83 mins) | Surprise, Risk, Flourishing & Active Inference with Julian Kiverstein
open.substack.com
July 16, 2025 at 9:03 PM
Algorithms don't play & animals only play when they feel safe. ❤️ Ep 65 with Julian Kiverstein (Amsterdam Medical) looks at how play relates to surprise, risk, & our capacity to handle uncertainty. New insights on Active Inference & the role of The Embodied Mind #EmbodiedMInd #play #loveandphilosophy
Reposted by Evan Thompson
In this episode Julian credits @evanthompson.bsky.social and The Embodied Mind as his primary inspiration
July 19, 2025 at 2:23 PM
In this episode Julian credits @evanthompson.bsky.social and The Embodied Mind as his primary inspiration
Very nice to see something intelligent about AI and about putting it to a good use for a change. www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHlL...
Artificial intelligence in the BC Wildfire Service
YouTube video by The Exchange
www.youtube.com
July 16, 2025 at 7:29 PM
Very nice to see something intelligent about AI and about putting it to a good use for a change. www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHlL...
New episode with yours truly and @adamfrank4.bsky.social www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCO-...
The Blind Spot Podcast - Episode 7, Life: Beyond the Machine Metaphor
YouTube video by The Blind Spot Podcast
www.youtube.com
July 10, 2025 at 11:13 PM
New episode with yours truly and @adamfrank4.bsky.social www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCO-...
Why Science Hasn’t Solved Consciousness (Yet) www.noemamag.com/why-science-... by @adamfrank4.bsky.social
Why Science Hasn’t Solved Consciousness (Yet) | NOEMA
To understand life, we must stop treating organisms like machines and minds like code.
www.noemamag.com
July 9, 2025 at 6:29 PM
Why Science Hasn’t Solved Consciousness (Yet) www.noemamag.com/why-science-... by @adamfrank4.bsky.social
The cultural construction of “executive function” | PNAS www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
The cultural construction of “executive function” | PNAS
In cognitive science, the term “executive function” (EF) refers to universal features
of the mind. Yet, almost all results described as measuring E...
www.pnas.org
July 8, 2025 at 4:43 PM
The cultural construction of “executive function” | PNAS www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
Reposted by Evan Thompson
Executive summary: "A major achievement....sweeping in scope, yet meticulously reasoned."
A review of The Blind Spot that appeared in Die Furche in April. www.furche.at/wissen/the-b...
„The Blind Spot“: Der Fluch des blinden Flecks
Das Gehirn-Geist-Problem und andere große Rätsel der Wissenschaft harren einer Lösung. Zwei Physiker und ein Philosoph plädieren in „The Blind Spot“ für einen radikal neuen Zugang, in dem die menschli...
www.furche.at
July 2, 2025 at 6:48 PM
Executive summary: "A major achievement....sweeping in scope, yet meticulously reasoned."
A review of The Blind Spot that appeared in Die Furche in April. www.furche.at/wissen/the-b...
„The Blind Spot“: Der Fluch des blinden Flecks
Das Gehirn-Geist-Problem und andere große Rätsel der Wissenschaft harren einer Lösung. Zwei Physiker und ein Philosoph plädieren in „The Blind Spot“ für einen radikal neuen Zugang, in dem die menschli...
www.furche.at
July 2, 2025 at 5:27 PM
A review of The Blind Spot that appeared in Die Furche in April. www.furche.at/wissen/the-b...
Reposted by Evan Thompson
New episode of The Blind Spot just dropped. Problems with Cosmology and Unified Theories. Deep dive into success & challenges of the big bang model and String Theory and supersymmetry. Their major shortcomings and challenges. (spotify too) @evanthompson.bsky.social
www.youtube.com/watch?v=_d5m...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=_d5m...
The Blind Spot Podcast - Episode 5, The Modern Story of the Universe, pt II
YouTube video by The Blind Spot Podcast
www.youtube.com
June 17, 2025 at 3:26 PM
New episode of The Blind Spot just dropped. Problems with Cosmology and Unified Theories. Deep dive into success & challenges of the big bang model and String Theory and supersymmetry. Their major shortcomings and challenges. (spotify too) @evanthompson.bsky.social
www.youtube.com/watch?v=_d5m...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=_d5m...
Episode 5 of The Blind Spot Podcast with @adamfrank4.bsky.social and Marcelo Gleiser. Part II of our reflections on modern cosmology. www.youtube.com/watch?v=_d5m...
The Blind Spot Podcast - Episode 5, The Modern Story of the Universe, pt II
YouTube video by The Blind Spot Podcast
www.youtube.com
June 12, 2025 at 3:48 PM
Episode 5 of The Blind Spot Podcast with @adamfrank4.bsky.social and Marcelo Gleiser. Part II of our reflections on modern cosmology. www.youtube.com/watch?v=_d5m...
"the neuroscientist has embraced the habit of treating neurons as cognitive agents, attributing to them capacities we would normally only attribute to persons." Information in the Brain: From Metaphor to Truth - Zahnoun - Theoria - Wiley Online Library onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Information in the Brain: From Metaphor to Truth
Despite explicit warnings from Shannon to tread carefully when applying Information Theory to fields for which it was not designed, contemporary neuroscientists adopting the framework of Information ....
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
June 11, 2025 at 4:23 PM
"the neuroscientist has embraced the habit of treating neurons as cognitive agents, attributing to them capacities we would normally only attribute to persons." Information in the Brain: From Metaphor to Truth - Zahnoun - Theoria - Wiley Online Library onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...
Reposted by Evan Thompson
Fabulous discussion with Dr. Kate Nave - wide-ranging, nuanced, clear, smart thinking about agency, purpose, life, cybernetics, the FEP, process philosophy and lots more! open.spotify.com/episode/4PKy...
Life, free energy, and the pursuit of goals
Many Minds · Episode
open.spotify.com
April 21, 2025 at 7:50 PM
Fabulous discussion with Dr. Kate Nave - wide-ranging, nuanced, clear, smart thinking about agency, purpose, life, cybernetics, the FEP, process philosophy and lots more! open.spotify.com/episode/4PKy...