Sciencespeaking topic
A single neuron in your brain doesn't 'think,' it knows nothing. But when 86 billion of them come together, 'you' emerge. So you are the byproduct of parts, none of which know you. If consciousness is something the parts don't have, where does it come from?
— emergence / consciousness
practice with this topic
Set the timer (5-30 min), take 20 seconds of prep if you like, start talking. Jot your thoughts onto the sticky-note board.
similar topics
- If we blew an atom up to the size of a football field, the nucleus would be a marble in the center and everything else would be empty. When matter is almost nothing, why does the world feel so 'full'?
- In a market, everyone sells because they fear 'the others will sell,' and the price falls, and the fall proves the fear right. So danger becomes real not because it was real but because everyone believed in it. How does a belief turn itself into reality?
- Mineral filter (zinc oxide, titanium dioxide) or chemical filter? One is thought to reflect the rays, but actually both mostly absorb them. So where is the real difference, and why is it still called 'physical'?
- Try to clear up the common misunderstanding between natural selection and the phrase survival of the fittest.
- Hedonic adaptation: the brain quickly gets used to every new pleasure and the old thrill fades; this is the hedonic treadmill. Why does a new phone or a raise become ordinary after a few weeks; is happiness always a moving target?