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Listen to Brain Science Podcast #19: Gut Feelings
Show Notes for Brain Science Podcast #19: Gut Feelings
This episode is a discussion of Gut Feelings: The Intelligence of the Unconscious (2007) by Gerd Gigerenzer
Dr. Gigerenzer argues that unconscious decision-making or intuition is actually based on the use of hueristics (rules of thumb) that can be explored, and even brought into awareness. In this episode I discuss his basic arguments with an emphasis on the differences between intuitive reasoning and formal logic. Then we explore some examples including the application of these ideas to more controversial areas like morality and social instincts. Listen to episode.
Some of his ideas are provocative and I hope you will discuss them on the Brain Science Podcast Discussion Forum.
References
Gut Feelings: The Intelligence of the Unconscious (2007) by Gerd Gigerenzer
Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking (2005) by Malcolm Gladwell
See also Brain Science Podcast #13: Unconscious Decision Making
Links of Interest
Gerd Gigerenzer-wikipedia
Gerd Gigerenzer-home page at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development
Jonathan Haidt-social psychologist mentioned in this episode
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I haven't tried to read Walter Isaacson's new biography of Einstein because I found his biography of Benjamin Franklin insufferably boring. So I consider myself still on the search for a good biography of the most imp0rtant physicist of the 20th century.
Meanwhile, I can highly recommend physicist's Lee Smolin's essay, The Other Einstein, which appeared in the June 14th issue of the New York Times Review of Books. Thankfully, the entire essay is available free on-line.
The most interesting part of the article is its consideration of how some of Einstein's objections to quantum mechanics may have even more relevance today than when he was alive. If you have any interest in the conflict between relativity theory and quantum mechanics you will want to read this essay.
Show Notes
The latest episode of Books and Ideas is a little unusual. I interviewed Neel Varshney of Harvard Medical School as he looks forward to his imminent graduation and residency in neurology. Despite his young age, Varshney has already had extensive research experience in neuroscience, beginning during he undergraduate years as an electrical engineering student at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He was the first student from UAB to receive the Rhodes Scholarship.
In this interview Neel reflects on his experiences in England, and the challenges of adjusting to medical school. He offers sound advice to anyone considering medical school. We also talked about the research he has done so far. I look forward to hearing great things from him in the future.
This is a very personal episode for me because I met Neel when he was one of my husband, Dennis Smith's most outstanding undergraduate students at UAB. Dennis is about to retire after teaching at UAB for 30 years and I know that it is student's like Neel who made his career satisfying.
Listen to the corrected version of Episode 11 Now
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This week's podcast is a discussion of the book Challenging Nature: The Clash of Science and Spirituality at the New Frontiers of Life, with author Lee M. Silver of Princeton University. I am also putting this episode into the Brain Science Podcast feed.
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Click here to visit Lee M Silver's website
Kanzi and Sue Savage-Rumbaugh
This is the first interview episode of the Brain Science Podcast. As a follow-up to #6, I had the opportunity to interview Stuart Shanker, PhD, one of the co-authors of The First Idea: How Symbols, Language, and Intelligence Evolved From Our Primate Ancestors to Modern Humans .
I really wanted to talk about the implications of primate research, but he also tells us more about his work with autistic children and how he thinks what we are learning about brain development will enable early intervention and improved outcomes for children with autism and other learning disabilities.
The Brain Science Podcast feed is available here.
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Links of Interest:
What are Bonobos?
More about Kanzi
Sue Savage-Rumbaugh-pioneer primate researcher
More on Bonobos 
Matthew Cobb
Show Notes
In this podcast is an interview with Matthew Cobb who wrote Generation: The Seventeenth-Century Scientists Who Unraveled the Secrets of Sex, Life, and Growth, which was discussed in Episode 6. Cobb discusses how he became interested in the Dutch Golden Age and the pioneers who discovered the egg and the sperm, even though it was almost 200 years before the discovery of genetics helped solve the mystery of human reproduction. We also discuss how the history of of science reveals the role of human nature in the scientific endeavor.
Matthew gave a great interview, but I haven't had time to compile detailed shownotes.
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Egg and Sperm website 
Generation: The Seventeenth-Century Scientists Who Unraveled the Secrets of Sex, Life, and Growth by Matthew Cobb
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Show Notes
In this episode I discuss the highlights of Matthew Cobb’s account of the early days of the scientific revolution. During the Dutch Golden Age of the 17th century, several Dutch thinkers made important contributions to discovering how human reproduction happens. Their work helped established the scientific method of experimentation and helped revolutionize how we see ourselves relative to the other living things on earth.
Here are the full names of the people mentioned:
William Harvey
Neils Steno
Francesco Redi
Robert Hooke
Johannes van Horne
Jan Swammerdam
Reinier de Graaf
Antoni Leeuwenhoek
Gregor Mendel
Other interesting Links:
Matthew Cobb’s Website
an American Scientist Bookstand interview of Matthew Cobb
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Here is a video worth watching!
Save the Internet | Rock the Vote
Show Notes
This episode turned out longer than I planned. After I recorded a piece about Lee Smolin’s book The Trouble with Physics: The Rise of String Theory, the fall of a science, and What Comes Next, I decided to wait until the next episode to discuss my Audible.com top 10 for 2006.
I think Smolin’s book makes an important contribution on several levels. First, it is an excellent review of contemporary physics and puts string theory into context. It is also a candid look at the trends in contemporary science that are stifling original thinking and creativity. It is a passionate defense of the traditional scientific method (making predictions and testing them with experiments). If physics, which has always been thought of the purest science could lose site of its principles, we are reminded that science is a human endeavor, prone to human error and human desires.
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Note: This post was amended on October 5, 2009 (to fix a glitch in WordPress)
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Episode 1 of Books and Ideas
Topics Covered:
Discussion of the difference between science and psuedo-science Books: The Trouble with Physics iWoz Headfirst HTML with CSS and XHTML Television: Studio 60 Buffy the Vampire Slayer: “Season 8? Movies: An Inconvenient Truth: more information about global warming is available at climatecrisis.org Listen to this episode now