I am not good at recalling names, and never have been. Is my brain not working as well as it did? Is it dementia? Or does everyone have weaknesses that get progressively worse as you age?
Letters and messages, neurons and thoughts
Is a thought simply the sum total of the activity of all the neurons in the brain? No, just as a message is not simply the placement of a sequence of letters which follow the rules of grammar. How do those letters stand in relation to that message? How does the activity of neurons stand in relation to a thought? Was Descartes right, or are we our brain?
The fingers and language of a top pianist
Successful musicians put in hours of practice from an early age. But is all that practice really necessary? Is talent alone – with a bit of practice – not enough? How does the brain change with practice, and can you create a genius?
What is colour? How blue can look white…
How do we see colour? Can white look blue and vice versa? And does it matter which word you use for a colour?