Thomas Nagel http://www.npr.org Thomas Nagel en Copyright 2013 NPR - For Personal Use Only NPR API RSS Generator 0.94 Wed, 03 Apr 2013 22:11:00 -0400 http://media.npr.org/images/npr_news_123x20.gif Thomas Nagel http://www.npr.org Mind And Matter: Confessions Of A Perplexed Soul What can we say about how the brain creates our sense of self? A lot and yet surprisingly little, as it turns out. Commentator Marcelo Gleiser ponders the many challenges scientists face to make sense of our mind. Wed, 03 Apr 2013 22:11:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/blogs/13.7/2013/04/02/176017512/mind-and-matter-confessions-of-a-perplexed-soul?ft=1&f=162778259 http://www.npr.org/blogs/13.7/2013/04/02/176017512/mind-and-matter-confessions-of-a-perplexed-soul?ft=1&f=162778259 What can we say about how the brain creates our sense of self? A lot and yet surprisingly little, as it turns out. Commentator Marcelo Gleiser ponders the many challenges scientists face to make sense of our mind.

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]]> Do We Know How Life Began? Not Really We know a great deal about life and its pre-biotic precursors. But do we now understand how life is built from non-life? This is still an open question. Philospher Alva Noë considers this state of affairs in the context of the storm of controversy surrounding Thomas Nagel's book. Fri, 08 Feb 2013 13:42:00 -0500 http://www.npr.org/blogs/13.7/2013/02/08/171463418/do-we-know-how-life-began-not-really?ft=1&f=162778259 http://www.npr.org/blogs/13.7/2013/02/08/171463418/do-we-know-how-life-began-not-really?ft=1&f=162778259 We know a great deal about life and its pre-biotic precursors. But do we now understand how life is built from non-life? This is still an open question. Philospher Alva Noë considers this state of affairs in the context of the storm of controversy surrounding Thomas Nagel's book.

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]]> Is There A Place For The Mind In Physics? Part I Is your Mind real, or just an afterthought in the life of your brain? What if the Mind was something as real as Space and Time and Higgs Bosons? Tue, 29 Jan 2013 07:51:00 -0500 http://www.npr.org/blogs/13.7/2013/01/29/169896128/is-there-a-place-for-the-mind-in-physics-part-i?ft=1&f=162778259 http://www.npr.org/blogs/13.7/2013/01/29/169896128/is-there-a-place-for-the-mind-in-physics-part-i?ft=1&f=162778259 Is your Mind real, or just an afterthought in the life of your brain? What if the Mind was something as real as Space and Time and Higgs Bosons?

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]]> Arguing The Nature Of Values Can there be knowledge of right and wrong? Or is the idea that values can be the object of knowledge a grand illusion? Thomas Nagel, in his new book, comes down solidly on one side of this argument. Commentator Alva Noë weighs in with his thoughts. Tue, 30 Oct 2012 09:44:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/blogs/13.7/2012/10/30/163725556/arguing-the-nature-of-values?ft=1&f=162778259 http://www.npr.org/blogs/13.7/2012/10/30/163725556/arguing-the-nature-of-values?ft=1&f=162778259 Can there be knowledge of right and wrong? Or is the idea that values can be the object of knowledge a grand illusion? Thomas Nagel, in his new book, comes down solidly on one side of this argument. Commentator Alva Noë weighs in with his thoughts.

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]]> Moving Beyond Political Correctness Reactions to Thomas Nagel's recent book remind commentator Alva Noë of the foolish criticism directed toward E.O Wilson back in the 70s. Does biology give us the resources to understand ourselves? We must take this question seriously. Wed, 24 Oct 2012 12:49:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/blogs/13.7/2012/10/24/163313620/moving-beyond-political-correctness?ft=1&f=162778259 http://www.npr.org/blogs/13.7/2012/10/24/163313620/moving-beyond-political-correctness?ft=1&f=162778259 Reactions to Thomas Nagel's recent book remind commentator Alva Noë of the foolish criticism directed toward E.O Wilson back in the 70s. Does biology give us the resources to understand ourselves? We must take this question seriously.

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]]> Are The Mind And Life Natural? Can natural science find a place for us in its vision of the cosmos? Thomas Nagel, in a new book, demands we take this question seriously. He is right to do so. Fri, 12 Oct 2012 10:30:00 -0400 http://www.npr.org/blogs/13.7/2012/10/12/162725315/are-the-mind-and-life-natural?ft=1&f=162778259 http://www.npr.org/blogs/13.7/2012/10/12/162725315/are-the-mind-and-life-natural?ft=1&f=162778259 Can natural science find a place for us in its vision of the cosmos? Thomas Nagel, in a new book, demands we take this question seriously. He is right to do so.

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