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Philip Laughlin

@philiplaughlin.bsky.social
245 followers 79 following 435 posts

I read email. I write email. Occasionally, I ignore email.

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Reposted by Philip Laughlin
Open Encyclopedia of Cognitive Science bot @oecs-bot.bsky.social · 8h
Shared human traits like language and music suggest deep psychological commonalities, though their emergence may also reflect convergent cultural… Cultural Universals by Manvir Singh doi.org/10.21428/e2759450.44a6d380 #CognitiveScience
Open Encyclopedia of Cognitive Science: "Cultural Universals" by Manvir Singh. Music, language, ownership, and the use of fire are all cultural universals, or traits expressed in all known human populations. Spanning behaviors, technologies, affective states, institutions, and l
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Open Encyclopedia of Cognitive Science bot @oecs-bot.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
The human mind instinctively extracts order from chaos, tracking probabilities across sounds and scenes to build complex knowledge from raw input. Statistical Learning by Jenny Saffran doi.org/10.21428/e2759450.7a74eed8 #CognitiveScience
Open Encyclopedia of Cognitive Science: "Statistical Learning" by Jenny Saffran. Statistical learning refers to the ability to track patterns in the environment. These patterns occur in a wide array of domains (e.g., speech, scenes, melodies). Humans track statistics over stimuli
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Philip Laughlin @philiplaughlin.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
And the co-editor of 'Neuroscience and Philosophy' published my @mitpress.bsky.social in 2022. Congrats again Felipe!
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MIT Press @mitpress.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
New month, new books: A pioneering exploration of the maternal brain; a darkly comedic journey into the science of aging; a fascinating inquiry into why beauty matters and how it has played an evolutionary role in our understanding of the world; and more: mitpress.mit.edu/october-2026...
Three book covers on a green background: "A Mother's Brain,""Morbid," and "Why is the World So Beautiful?"
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Open Encyclopedia of Cognitive Science bot @oecs-bot.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Cognitive science evaluates human behavior against a shifting, patchwork history of normative standards ranging from formal logic to modern decision… Human Rationality in Research by Ulrike Hahn oecs.mit.edu/pub/aj80dki5 #CognitiveScience
Open Encyclopedia of Cognitive Science: "Human Rationality in Research" by Ulrike Hahn. Rationality—that is, reasonable judgment, evaluation of evidence, and decision-making—is a topic that runs through cognitive science both on a methodological level and as a topic of empirical inquiry.
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Duke Institute for Brain Sciences @dukebrain.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
So thrilled to see this. Congrats to Felipe de Brigard! Among the many hats he wears are core member of the Center for Cognitive Neuroscience and DGS of its Cognitive Neuroscience Admitting Program for PhD students. Way to go Felipe! 🙌 @felipedebrigard.bsky.social today.duke.edu/2026/09/duke...
today.duke.edu
Duke Scientist Awarded MacArthur ‘Genius Grant’ | Duke Today
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Philip Laughlin @philiplaughlin.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Perfectly timed with the forthcoming publication of Felipe's new book NEUROSCIENCE AND PHILOSOPHY II (just like we planned it)! mitpress.mit.edu/978026205590... @felipedebrigard.bsky.social @mitpress.bsky.social
mitpress.mit.edu
Neuroscience and Philosophy II
Neuroscience and Philosophy II, edited by Felipe De Brigard and Walter Sinnott-Armstrong, continues the interdisciplinary mission of its predecessor by bring...
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Open Encyclopedia of Cognitive Science bot @oecs-bot.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Language relies on a flexible, distributed neural network that integrates beyond traditional speech centers to adapt to real-time communication… Neuroscience of Language by Gesa Hartwigsen doi.org/10.21428/e2759450.9793d1ae #CognitiveScience
Open Encyclopedia of Cognitive Science: "Neuroscience of Language" by Gesa Hartwigsen. Language is a key faculty for human communication. Across the last few decades, neuroimaging work provided insight into the contribution of distributed areas in the brain to different language operati
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Michael Brownstein @michaelbrownstein.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Chuffed to learn that my book with @dryan149.bsky.social and @madva.bsky.social has been shortlisted for the Goddard Riverside Book Prize for Social Justice. The winner will be announced Oct 7th. @mitpress.bsky.social @goddardriverside.bsky.social
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Alex Madva @madva.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Over the moon to share that our book, Somebody Should Do Something, is a finalist for the @goddardriverside.bsky.social Stephan Russo Book Prize for Social Justice! Huge thanks to @mitpress.bsky.social for nomination & for their support to me, @michaelbrownstein.bsky.social, & @dryan149.bsky.social
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Open Encyclopedia of Cognitive Science bot @oecs-bot.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Subjective experience challenges traditional science because it remains unclear how neural computations generate the feeling of what it is like to… Consciousness by Claire Sergent and Frédérique de Vignemont doi.org/10.21428/e2759450.0aea8c7d #CognitiveScience
Open Encyclopedia of Cognitive Science: "Consciousness" by Claire Sergent and Frédérique de Vignemont. Consciousness refers to our subjective experience, broadly construed. It thus embraces a wide range of phenomena from wakefulness and sentience to what it is like to have a particular experience. Seei
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Philip Laughlin @philiplaughlin.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
You win some, you lose some.
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Open Encyclopedia of Cognitive Science bot @oecs-bot.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Converting abstract thoughts into fluent speech requires a rapid, subconscious orchestration of syntactic structure, word choice, and motor planning. Language Production by Zenzi M. Griffin doi.org/10.21428/e2759450.b076f599 #CognitiveScience
Open Encyclopedia of Cognitive Science: "Language Production" by Zenzi M. Griffin. Speakers are typically aware of the ideas they want to express but not the steps involved in getting from those ideas to a series of motor movements. Consider describing an image with the sentence, “B
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Philip Laughlin @philiplaughlin.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
And people scoff that there is no money in scholarly publishing!
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Philip Laughlin @philiplaughlin.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Just curious, is there a reading list?
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Philip Laughlin @philiplaughlin.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Rock/Paper/iPhone
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Reposted by Philip Laughlin
MIT Press @mitpress.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Neurologist Richard E. Cytowic offers compelling evidence that we can change the way we use technology, resist its addictive power, and take back the control we have lost. "Your Stone Age Brain in the Screen Age" is available in paperback: mitpress.mit.edu/978026204900... @neuromandc.bsky.social
A copy of "Your Stone Age Brain in the Screen Age: Coping with Digital Distraction and Sensory Overload" by Ricahrd E. Cytowic on a white background. The cover is an image of a rock split with a mobile screen.
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Open Encyclopedia of Cognitive Science bot @oecs-bot.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
The brain is not a static organ, but a dynamic system that physically rewires its own circuitry in response to learning, injury, and environmental… Neuroplasticity by Marina Bedny doi.org/10.21428/e2759450.3d4df41d #CognitiveScience
Open Encyclopedia of Cognitive Science: "Neuroplasticity" by Marina Bedny. Neuroplasticity is the capacity of the brain to change as a result of external influence and internal activity. It underpins learning from the environment, from others and from our own thoughts. Neuro
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Open Encyclopedia of Cognitive Science bot @oecs-bot.bsky.social · 22/09/2026
Often overshadowed by the five classical senses, the vestibular system acts as an ancient, silent anchor for navigation, memory, and our fundamental… Vestibular System by Christophe Lopez doi.org/10.21428/e2759450.bc3a43dd #CognitiveScience
Open Encyclopedia of Cognitive Science: "Vestibular System" by Christophe Lopez. The vestibular system is a key sensory system responsible for self-motion perception and spatial orientation, working in concert with visual, muscular, joint, and tactile receptors to maintain balance
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Open Encyclopedia of Cognitive Science bot @oecs-bot.bsky.social · 21/09/2026
Human causal reasoning relies on internal mental models that allow us to simulate counterfactual worlds and compare them against what actually… Causal Reasoning by David Lagnado doi.org/10.21428/e2759450.0de13fd2 #CognitiveScience
Figure from the OECS article "Causal Reasoning".
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Frances Egan @francesegan.bsky.social · 20/09/2026
Chris Hill's review of my book in Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews ndpr.nd.edu/reviews/defl...
ndpr.nd.edu
Deflating Mental Representations
I found this book illuminating. A font of fresh ideas, it challenges the currently dominant Representational Theory of Mind and develops an alternative account…
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Open Encyclopedia of Cognitive Science bot @oecs-bot.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
Philosophers treat skepticism not as stubborn denial, but as a logical trap revealing fundamental tensions in our concepts of knowledge and evidence. Skepticism by Santiago Echeverri doi.org/10.21428/e2759450.95725785 #CognitiveScience
Open Encyclopedia of Cognitive Science: "Skepticism" by Santiago Echeverri. In everyday life, people think of skepticism as the position of a stubborn person who rejects what other people believe in. Some skeptics may deny that climate change is real, while others claim that
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Philip Laughlin @philiplaughlin.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
I'm not sure this is what the Fathers of the Enlightenment had in mind 300+ years ago. But here we are.
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Open Encyclopedia of Cognitive Science bot @oecs-bot.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Intelligence tests measure specific cognitive aptitudes, yet the field remains marked by the tension between useful psychological metrics and their… Intelligence by K. Paige Harden doi.org/10.21428/e2759450.2aa90758 #CognitiveScience
Figure from the OECS article "Intelligence".
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Open Encyclopedia of Cognitive Science bot @oecs-bot.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Widened diagnostic criteria and shifting cultural definitions have transformed autism from a rare clinical diagnosis into a broad, heterogeneous… Autism by Uta Frith doi.org/10.21428/e2759450.db4c7c20 #CognitiveScience
Open Encyclopedia of Cognitive Science: "Autism" by Uta Frith. The concept of autism has undergone a huge transformation since the 1940s when it was first given a name. Originally, it referred to a rare neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by severe impairme
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David Gunkel @davidgunkel.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Just received the good news that "Person, Thing, Robot" @mitpress.bsky.social will soon have both a Japanese and Turkish translation. bit.ly/Gunkel-PTR
bit.ly
Person, Thing, Robot: A Moral and Legal Ontology for the 21st Century and Beyond
Why robots defy our existing moral and legal categories and how to revolutionize the way we think about them.Robots are a curious sort of thing. On the one
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Philip Laughlin @philiplaughlin.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
We're less than a month away from publication of Nick Humphrey's new book WHY IS THE WORLD SO BEAUTIFUL? Nick kicks off the publicity campaign with an in depth interview on Robinson Erhardt's podcast. Worth a listen! youtu.be/SLUQiAuywAs?...
youtu.be
Nicholas Humphrey: Why Does Beauty Exist?
YouTube video by Robinson Erhardt
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🐭 Danielle Williams 🐹 @okaydaniellle.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
very cool— and open access!
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Philip Laughlin @philiplaughlin.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
"[B]oth broad and deep, clarifying the core concepts, illuminating key distinctions and their relationships, and providing insights and lessons for researchers in cognitive science, AI, and AGI." -- John E. Laird, Professor Emeritus, University of Michigan
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Open Encyclopedia of Cognitive Science bot @oecs-bot.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
The brain instantly resolves ambiguous visual input into coherent scenes by running lightning-fast, unconscious logical inferences before we even see. Unconscious Inference by Patrick Cavanagh doi.org/10.21428/e2759450.3bef4aa1 #CognitiveScience
Open Encyclopedia of Cognitive Science: "Unconscious Inference" by Patrick Cavanagh. Unconscious inference refers to the rapid and unconscious, high-level choices made by the visual system to quickly organize input from the eyes into a coherent scene comprising objects, depth, light,
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Philip Laughlin @philiplaughlin.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
direct.mit.edu/books/oa-mon...
direct.mit.edu
Deflating Mental Representation
A novel account of the explanatory role of representation in both the cognitive sciences and commonsense practice that preserves the virtues without the de
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Philip Laughlin @philiplaughlin.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
direct.mit.edu/books/oa-mon...
direct.mit.edu
Deflating Mental Representation
A novel account of the explanatory role of representation in both the cognitive sciences and commonsense practice that preserves the virtues without the de
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Philip Laughlin @philiplaughlin.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
With this week's paperback publication of Richard Cytowic's YOUR STONE AGE BRAIN IN THE SCREEN AGE (@mitpress.bsky.social) now is a great time to revisit the interview he gave to BIG THINK earlier this year. 1.5 million views and counting! youtu.be/t0qq9R__XiQ?...
youtu.be
Your brain wasn't built to hold this much information | Richard Cytowic
YouTube video by Big Think
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Open Encyclopedia of Cognitive Science bot @oecs-bot.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Scientific consensus struggles to define "basic" tastes, as our perception of flavor is often an illusion dominated by smell rather than the tongue. Taste by Charles Spence doi.org/10.21428/e2759450.704d8d25 #CognitiveScience
Figure from the OECS article "Taste".
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Mark Coeckelbergh @coeckelbergh.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Just talked to CNN news India
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Joel David Hamkins @joeldavidhamkins.bsky.social · 14/09/2026
Latest review of The Book of Infinity. www.amazon.com/portal/custo... Why not add your review?
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Freedom of Species @freedomofspecies.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
Today Lottie and Hayden covered the book Somebody Should Do Something by @madva.bsky.social @dryan149.bsky.social & @michaelbrownstein.bsky.social from the lens of #animaljustice. Think about how YOU can encourage #vegan ethics to the people around you #systemchange www.3cr.org.au/freedomofspe...
3cr.org.au
Somebody Should Do Something: How to help create social change for the animals and environment
Lottie and Hayden discussed how anyone, yes even YOU, can help create social change for important issues like animal justice and the climate. They drew from the book 'Somebody Should Do Something: How...
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Daniel Kelly @dryan149.bsky.social · 13/09/2026
🔥
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Philip Laughlin @philiplaughlin.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Well, he's probably going to be right about libraries not being filled with books!
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Open Encyclopedia of Cognitive Science bot @oecs-bot.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Distinguishing between our species and other animals requires balancing subtle quantitative differences with the unique, complex interplay of our… Uniquely Human Cognition by Daniel B. M. Haun doi.org/10.21428/e2759450.2760bd31 #CognitiveScience
Open Encyclopedia of Cognitive Science: "Uniquely Human Cognition" by Daniel B. M. Haun. Uniquely human cognition refers to aspects of cognition that are specific to our evolutionary lineage and distinguish us from other animals, including our closest living relatives, the nonhuman primat
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miriamkyselo.bsky.social @miriamkyselo.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
Where does the self end? In my new book I argue that the boundary between self and other extends beyond our bodies. Thanks to Tony Chemero and Shaun Gallagher the book has two kind endorsements. If you want a physical copy you can get it at a discount today.😬 www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-relati...
barnesandnoble.com
The Relational Mind: An Enactive Theory of the Self
Barnes & Noble’s online bookstore for books, NOOK ebooks & magazines. Shop music, movies, toys & games, too. Receive free shipping with your Barnes & Noble Membership.
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Open Encyclopedia of Cognitive Science bot @oecs-bot.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
The human brain balances a seemingly perfect capacity for memory with a notorious susceptibility to misidentification in real-world scenarios. Face Perception by A. Mike Burton doi.org/10.21428/e2759450.57de91a4 #CognitiveScience
Open Encyclopedia of Cognitive Science: "Face Perception" by A. Mike Burton. The human face sends many different signals. We can identity somebody, if we happen to know them, but we can also judge their emotional state from their expression, perhaps read their lips if they are
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Philip Laughlin @philiplaughlin.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
"Humphrey’s skills as an expositor on the science/philosophy interface shine through here. He doesn’t definitively answer the question in the title -- nobody could! But he offers insights that will deepen any reader’s understanding of the issues. -- Lord Martin Rees, Astronomer Royal
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Adrian Currie @adrian-currie.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Methods in the Philosophy of Science: A User's Guide, edited by the inestimable @phieveigl.bsky.social (and me!), has 27 chapters from super-cool philosophers of science explaining how they do their thing, and is now open access! Our baby is free! #philsci direct.mit.edu/books/oa-edi...
direct.mit.edu
Methods in the Philosophy of Science: A User's Guide
A guidebook to methods and methodology, encouraging deeper engagement across the philosophy of science and beyond.The last twenty years have seen multiple
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Open Encyclopedia of Cognitive Science bot @oecs-bot.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Language challenges the rule of arbitrary meaning through recurring, non-random associations between the sounds we articulate and the concepts they… Sound Symbolism by Mutsumi Imai and Kimi Akita doi.org/10.21428/e2759450.4ea61aa9 #CognitiveScience
Open Encyclopedia of Cognitive Science: "Sound Symbolism" by Mutsumi Imai and Kimi Akita. Sound symbolism is the nonarbitrary association between (speech) sound and meaning. The association may be iconic (i.e., based on resemblance, as with beep for a high electronic noise and zigzag for a
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MIT Press @mitpress.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
Thanks to our library partners, we are pleased to provide more than 500 #OpenAccess titles free to read on the MIT Press Direct platform! We invite libraries worldwide to support the innovative diamond #OA model as we open our 2027 Direct to Open (D2O) funding cycle: mitpress.mit.edu/the-mit-pres...
Multicolored squares with the Direct to Open (D2O) logo
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Open Encyclopedia of Cognitive Science bot @oecs-bot.bsky.social · 08/09/2026
The brain’s continuous monitoring of internal physiological states may be the fundamental mechanism that grounds our sense of self. Interoception by Catherine Tallon-Baudry doi.org/10.21428/e2759450.84963756 #CognitiveScience
Open Encyclopedia of Cognitive Science: "Interoception" by Catherine Tallon-Baudry. Interoception refers to how the brain senses, consciously or unconsciously, physiological signals coming from inside the body. It includes a broad range of signals, mechanisms, and functions. It infor
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Open Encyclopedia of Cognitive Science bot @oecs-bot.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
While humans often assume they have direct access to their inner lives, cognitive science suggests our self-reports are frequently post hoc… Introspection by Jérôme Sackur doi.org/10.21428/e2759450.a685b0e0 #CognitiveScience
Open Encyclopedia of Cognitive Science: "Introspection" by Jérôme Sackur. Introspection (etymologically, “looking inward”) refers to the ability to access one’s own mental life and the results thereof. It stands in contrast to perception, the ability to connect with the wor
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Philip Laughlin @philiplaughlin.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
And when you don't reply, they simply follow up. The nerve!
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Modern Day Bartleby @moderndaybartleby.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
This book by @coeckelbergh.bsky.social via @mitpress.bsky.social is excellent & very much required reading for these times
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