FEED's Brain Essays

Re: Steven Pinker
Steven Johnson interviews MIT cognitive science professor Steven Pinker, author of How The Mind Works, on cognitive science, optical illusions, semiotics, and Noam Chomsky.

Re: George Lakoff
George Lakoff, Professor of Linguistics at the University of California at Berkeley (Philosophy in the Flesh) talks about the rise of cognitive science and empirically responsible philosophy.

The Evolution of Culture
Renowned philosopher and cognitive science theorist Daniel Dennett, (Darwin's Dangerous Idea) wonders whether scientific approaches to culture threaten our sense of self.

Edge Content

John Brockman's site brings together some of the most impressive scientists and thinkers from around the globe. Among them:

"Competing for Consciousness: How the Subconscious Thoughts Cook on the Backburner"
A Talk with William Calvin

"Parallel Memories: Putting Emotions Back into the Brain"
A Talk with Joseph Ledoux

"Consciousness is a Big Suitcase"
A Talk with Marvin Minsky

Organs of Computation"
A Talk with Steven Pinker

Brain Basics

The Society for Neuroscience
This site answers some basic questions about how the mind works. The briefings section -- which deals with gender, addiction, and sleep, among other topics -- is an interesting and in-depth resource for all things brain-related.

Neuroguide.com One of the most comprehensive brain guides on the net.

Seeing, Hearing and Smelling the World
This fun and enlightening feature looks at how our senses work.

Intelligence Considered
Scientific American has a thoughtful piece on the meaning of intelligence.

Brain Fun

Mensa Brain Games
Mensa (which means "table" in Latin) was conceived as a kind of progressive society -- a round-table where race, color, creed would be irrelevant. The only thing that would matter, of course, would be a sky-high IQ. Mensa's homepage offers a challenging brain game.

Emotional Intelligence
Within the academic community, the response to Daniel Goldman's book Emotional Intelligence was tepid. But the book made waves among popular psychology readers. Take this Utne Reader quiz and determine your EQ.

Are you a genius?
Take a look at this site, if you think you're up for the challenge. You'll probably find yourself knocking your head against the wall, though. Don't say we didn't warn you.

Psychopharmacology

The Neurobiology of Depression
Scientific American offers a primer on the biological underpinnings of depression.

Dr. Bob's Psychopharmacology Tips
An excellent resource for those with a deeper interest in pharmacology. Dr. Bob, a Professor of Clinical Psyiatry at University of Chicago, answers questions about psychiatric medications and conditions. The site has a comprehensive list of links and a helpful search engine.

Artificial Intelligence

MIT Media Lab
Among the Media Lab's curios is a list of AI's 101 greatest hits and a working AI computer program. Head over and ask their "intelligent" program the weather, the time, and how it feels.

Robot Wisdom
Jorn Barger, formerly a programmer at an Artificial Intelligence lab, takes an informed and often skeptical look at the field.

Center for Cognitive Science
at University College, London A wealth of information and links to sites dealing with AI, Cognitive science, and robotics.

Philosophy of Mind

David Chalmers' home page
The notable philosopher and author of The Conscious Mind highlights his own work and provides links to other philosophy of mind resources. There's even some philosophical humor thrown in for good measure.

Tufts University's Center for Cognitive Studies
Run by Daniel Dennett (Darwin's Dangerous Idea), Tufts' cognitive science department is one of the nation's most renowned. It has the most comprehensive list of Dennett's work online.

University of Indiana
An enlightening introduction to cognitive science and a wealth of links.