109. Predictive Brain with Andy Clark

Episode 109. Predictive Brain with Andy Clark Phantom phone buzzes? Painless mosquito bites? Toy masks flipped inside-out? It might be your brain bringing order to its complex world. In episode 109 of Overthink, Ellie and David interview cognitive philosopher Andy Clark, whose cutting-edge work on perception builds off theories of computation to offer an intriguing new model of mind and experience. He explains why the predictive processing model promises a healthier relation to neurodiversity, and they all explore its real-world applications across placebos, road safety, chronic pain, anxiety, and even the accidental success of ‘positive thinking.’ Plus, in the bonus, Ellie and David discuss depression, plasticity, qualia, zombies, and what phenomenologists can bring to the cognitive table. Overthink is a philosophy podcast hosted by your new favorite professors, Ellie Anderson (Pomona College) and David Peña-Guzmán (San Francisco State University). Check out our episodes for deep dives into concepts such as existential anxiety, empathy, and gaslighting. Support Overthink on Patreon here: patreon.com/overthinkpodcast Works Discussed Thomas Bayes, An Essay Towards Solving a Problem in the Doctrine of Chances Anjali Bhat, et al., "Immunoceptive inference: why are psychiatric disorders and immune responses intertwined?" Andy Clark, The Experience Machine: How Our Minds Predict and Shape Reality Sarah Garfinkel, et al., "Knowing your own heart: distinguishing interoceptive accuracy from interoceptive awareness" Hermann von Helmholtz, Treatise on Physiological Optics David Hume, A Treatise of Human Nature Alva Nöe, Out of Our Heads: Why You Are Not Your Brain, and Other Lessons from the Biology of Consciousness Anil Seth, Being You This Might Hurt (2019) Enjoy our work? Support Overthink via tax-deductible donation: https://www.givecampus.com/fj0w3v Join our Patreon for exclusive episode segments, monthly Zooms, and more: https://www.patreon.com/overthinkpodcast Website: overthinkpodcast.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Overthink-podcast-105420885026249 Apple podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/overthink/id1538249280 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4aIlXHTDz5vrc78DyjFg66 Buzzsprout RSS: https://feeds.buzzsprout.com/1455199.rss Find us on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok at @overthink_pod