Edge.org’s question for this year
Every year Edge.org asks a bunch of scientists and other thinkers a good interesting question and posts all the answers written in response. The 2008 question is “What have you changed your mind about, and why?” It takes a long time to sift through all the answers (by the time I finish it will be time for the 2009 question), but I’ve browsed through a few of them today.
I was most intrigued by psychologist Alison Gopnik’s response, in which she draws a comparison between the cognitive processes involved in reading fiction and doing science. Both, she proposes, are ways to create new worlds. I’m still chewing over this one.
Other notable responses include J. Craig Venter’s realization that environmental problems must be addressed immediately, philosopher Nick Bostrom’s explanation of what he means when he says he’s changed his mind about virtually everything, and philosopher Barry Smith’s newfound appreciation of the relevance of neuroscience for philosophy (as well as what he says about the precariousness of the normally functioning mind).
