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Consciousness is an Explanation of What Already Has Been Computed (John Hopfield) | AI Podcast Clips
6 segments available
Full episode with John Hopfield (Feb 2020): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKyzcbNr8WE Clips channel (Lex Clips): https://www.youtube.com/lexclips Main channel (Lex Fridman): https://www.youtube.com/lexfridman (more links below) Podcast full episodes playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrAXtmErZgOdP_8GztsuKi9nrraNbKKp4 Podcasts clips playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLrAXtmErZgOeciFP3CBCIEElOJeitOr41 Podcast website: https://lexfridman.com/ai Podcast on Apple Podcasts (iTunes): https://apple.co/2lwqZIr Podcast on Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2nEwCF8 Podcast RSS: https://lexfridman.com/category/ai/feed/ John Hopfield is professor at Princeton, whose life's work weaved beautifully through biology, chemistry, neuroscience, and physics. Most crucially, he saw the messy world of biology through the piercing eyes of a physicist. He is perhaps best known for his work on associate neural networks, now known as Hopfield networks that were one of the early ideas that catalyzed the development of the modern field of deep learning. Subscribe to this YouTube channel or connect on: - Twitter: https://twitter.com/lexfridman - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lexfridman - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lexfridman - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lexfridman - Medium: https://medium.com/@lexfridman - Support on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/lexfridman
Segments Timeline
The Nature of Consciousness
John Hopfield explores the complexities of consciousness, referencing Marvin Minsky's view that consciousness may be overrated and an epiphenomenon of subconscious processes. He discusses how much of our decision-making occurs unconsciously, suggesting that consciousness is merely the icing on the cake of our cognitive processes.
"let alone consciousness oh is that little own consciousness yes because that's tied up in there too you can't just put that on another shelf every once in a while I got interested in consciousness and..."
Narrative Weaving in Memory
Hopfield delves into how we construct narratives around our memories, particularly in the context of traumatic events. He illustrates this with the example of John Dean during the Watergate scandal, emphasizing how individuals can vividly recall events and create detailed narratives that may not align with the actual facts.
"evidence that even the things the simple things you do you can make decisions you can make committed decisions about them the neurobiology can say he's now committed he's going to move them left befor..."
Consciousness as a Narrative Maker
In this segment, Hopfield discusses the role of consciousness in cognition, questioning whether it is merely a narrative maker or fundamental to intelligence. He reflects on Francis Crick's views and the challenges of understanding consciousness from a scientific perspective.
"already been competed for you that's right and then so much of what we do for our memories of events for example if there's some traumatic event you witness you will have a few facts about it correctl..."
The Search for a Smoking Gun
Hopfield shares his thoughts on the elusive nature of consciousness and the lack of a definitive 'smoking gun' in its study. He contrasts the understanding of genetics with consciousness, noting the challenges faced by physicists in grasping the concept of consciousness within their frameworks.
"there was a marvelous example of that in the Watergate / impeachment era of John Dean John Dean you're too young to know had been the personal lawyer of Nixon and so John Dean was involved in the cove..."
Determinism and Free Will
This segment addresses the intersection of consciousness, free will, and determinism. Hopfield discusses how questions about free will often lead to contradictions within the laws of physics, highlighting the complexities of understanding consciousness in a deterministic universe.
"found out that John Dean had a good but not exceptional memory what he had was an ability to paint vividly and in some sense accurately the tone of what was going on by the way that's a beautiful desc..."
Complexity of the Brain vs. Quantum Mechanics
Hopfield concludes by comparing the mysteries of the brain to those of quantum mechanics. He argues that the complexity of the brain, with its vast number of components, presents challenges that are as profound as those found in quantum physics, emphasizing the need for deeper understanding in both fields.
"about handle of the peas yeah and how Mendel knew that there was something and I hope our biologists understood there was something in inheritance which is just very very different and he is the effec..."