Mike is a neuroscientist and associate professor at the Radbound university. Eli is a student in his final year of a Master’s degree in Artificial Intelligence and enjoys asking Mike difficult questions. They will be exploring the mind from the perspective of Neuroscience and Artificial Intelligence - discussing subjects related to meditation and spirituality from a scientific perspective.
Each session will explore a different topic. There will be a brief introduction to the subject followed by a discussion of the practical implications—in relation to meditation practice, but also its implications to daily lie. The conversation will be audio recorded, just in case we say something sensible. And, of course, we will drink tea and eat cookies!
This week we're going to talk about Predictive Coding.
Your brain is constantly trying to predict the future. This isn't about retirement planning, however! Most of what you see, hear, feel, smell, and taste is based more on what you expect to experience than on what your sense organs actually measure. The neuroscience term for this is "predictive coding" and it is attracting increasing attention in psychology, neuroscience, AI, and even philosophy. What does predictive coding tell us about the nature of consciousness and internal experiences? Come find out with another Mike & Eli discussion!"
If you’d like to read something in preparation, this is a great introductory text.
The event is free of charge but we would be grateful for a contribution towards running costs.