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Mind Matters

Mind Matters

By: Discovery Institute Center on Natural and Artificial Intelligence
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On the Mind Matters podcast, Discovery Institute’s Walter Bradley Center for Natural and Artificial Intelligence considers the implications and misconceptions, the opportunities and limitations, and the applications and challenges presented by intelligent agents and their algorithms. Episode notes and archives available at mindmatters.ai/podcast.© Discovery Institute Philosophy Social Sciences
Episodes
  • Why Logic and Cognition Set Us Apart from Machines

    Why Logic and Cognition Set Us Apart from Machines
    Mar 21 2026
    Is consciousness the exclusive domain of human beings? Proponents of a view known as integrative information theory argue that AI will eventually achieve that same level of consciousness as systems build up and integrate more knowledge in the future. On this archive episode of Mind Matters News, guest host Pat Flynn welcomes Dr. Selmer Bringsjord to discuss some of the flaws in this theory as well as a possible alternative.

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    1 hr and 12 mins
  • Beyond Imitation: Testing for True Artificial General Intelligence

    Beyond Imitation: Testing for True Artificial General Intelligence
    Mar 4 2026
    On this episode of the Mind Matters News podcast, join host Robert J. Marks as he sits down with Dr. Giorgios Mappouras for a deep dive into the philosophical and technical boundaries that define the gap between human minds and silicon machines. The pair look at why the classic Turing Test is no longer a sufficient measure of machine intelligence in the age of large language models. While modern AI can convincingly imitate human conversation, Mappouras argues that true intelligence requires the ability to do more than just mimic data; it must reach what he calls a General Intelligence Threshold. In this episode, they explore Giorgio's proposal for a Turing Test 2.0, a more rigorous framework that evaluates whether an AI can actually extract new, applicable knowledge—what Mappouras calls "functional information"—from the raw data it is given.

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    1 hr and 36 mins
  • Dr. Mihretu Guta on The Nature of Consciousness

    Dr. Mihretu Guta on The Nature of Consciousness
    Feb 20 2026
    On this archive "bingecast" episode of Mind Matters News, hosts Robert J. Marks and Angus Menuge welcome Dr. Mihretu Guta to discuss his contribution to the book Minding the Brain. Dr. Guta discusses the nature of consciousness and the challenges in understanding it from a philosophical perspective. He argues that consciousness is a unique property that is deeply subjective and personal, making it difficult to study scientifically. Guta contrasts first-order and second-order approaches to understanding consciousness, emphasizing the need to go beyond just the empirical observation of mental phenomena and examine the underlying metaphysical and ontological questions. The discussion covers a number of relevant topics, highlighting the profound and puzzling nature of consciousness and the importance of philosophical inquiry in grappling with this fundamental aspect of human experience.

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    1 hr and 28 mins
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Characterizing the Christian God in that shallow way in order to firm up your reason for doubting a self reflecting Creator... is a profound philosophical weakness.

A long gray -bearded man, Mr Kastrup?

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