Anagoge Podcast

In this episode, I have the pleasure of speaking with Dr. Joseph LeDoux, a world-renowned neuroscientist whose research primarily focuses on survival circuits and their impacts on emotions such as fear and anxiety. Dr. LeDoux is the Henry and Lucy Moses Professor of Science at New York University, and director of the Emotional Brain Institute. He has made significant contributions to our understanding of the amygdala and its role in processing threats, elucidating the relationship between physiological responses, cognitive interpretations, and the conscious experience of emotions. Our conversation takes us back to Dr. LeDoux's earliest work with split-brain patients, a fascinating area of study that naturally led him to explore questions of consciousness. From there, he shares the journey that took him from studying humans to focusing on animal models, particularly in relation to fear and anxiety. We delve into the intricate nature of emotions, discussing two contrasting theories: the traditional view that emotions are universal and rooted in our biology and the constructivist theory, which posits that emotions are constructed and shaped by our culture and personal experiences. Dr. LeDoux offers a compelling argument that while innate circuits control behavior, the conscious experience of an emotion is a cognitive interpretation based on our personal narratives and cultural schemas. We also explore the topic of attributing emotional states to animals. Dr. LeDoux provides an insightful perspective on the difficulties of this task, emphasizing the importance of distinguishing between physiological responses and conscious experiences and the potential dangers of anthropomorphizing animal behavior. It's a fascinating journey into the depths of human emotion and the workings of our brain, offering valuable insights from one of the leading experts in the field. Whether you're a student of neuroscience, a curious learner, or simply interested in understanding the complexities of human emotion, this conversation will surely provide food for thought. 0:00:00 - Introduction 0:02:28 - The nature of emotions: biological or constructed theories 0:05:15 - The neuroscience of emotions and its foundation with split-brain patients 0:19:46 - Cognitive elements in emotions and the disconnect between physiological responses and the conscious experience of an emotion 0:27:27 - The role of biological neural circuits in emotional responses 0:31:05 - Emotional models and how emotional experiences are based on interpretation and shaped by language 0:39:47 - Attributing emotional states to animals and consciousness in mammals 0:56:48 - Joseph's career, the intersection of neuroscience and music, and his upcoming book

Anagoge Podcast is now over 1 year old! Thank you everyone for listening. Shaun Gallagher is the Lillian and Morrie Moss Professor of Excellence in Philosophy at the University of Memphis. He is a founding editor and continues as a co-editor-in-chief of Phenomenology and the Cognitive Sciences, an interdisciplinary journal published by Springer. In this episode, we talk about Shaun's background, the nature of phenomenology and cognitive science, the role of embodiment and action, and Shaun's research about the overview effect; the awe astronauts feel during spaceflight when seeing Earth. My main microphone died shortly after the podcast started, so you will notice the quality decreasing at some point, as I had to use my camera microphone. Sorry! The timestamps below are made for YT so they are not 100% accurate as the pace differs slightly. 02:00 Shaun's background in philosophy 05:19 Shaun's background in cognitive science 07:00 Interdisciplinarity and Cog-Sci 10:00 The paradox of phenomenology 17:02 Scientific vs philosophical methods in phenomenology 21:02 Cog-Sci as an example of the role of philosophy in science 26:17 Existentialism in phenomenology 32:00 Embodied Cog-Sci and psychopathology 36:09 Virtual reality for therapy 39:45 What's 4E Cognitive Science? 53:05 4E Cognitive Science and Buddhism 58:15 Varela and Dalai Lama - Mind & Life Institute 1:00:00 Metaphysical tensions of Buddism and Western Science 1:04:00 Awe in the overview effect 1:10:15 Differences in present and future reporting 1:14:10 Background of the awe experience 1:16:45 Feeling of unity 1:19:45 Connections with psychedelic and religious experiences 1:25:00 Enactivist Cognition 1:31:00 Critique of Heidegger of social cognition 1:34:50 History of embodiment If you would like to connect with me on Instagram, you can do so at @tiagobooks.

Michael Strevens teaches philosophy of science at New York University. His work revolves around the nature of science, covering topics such as scientific explanation, complex systems, and probability. In his book "The Knowledge Machine" he explains why science is so successful at creating knowledge and why it took so long for humans to come up with it. In this episode, we talk about the origins of science, philosophy of science, the contributions and flaws of Karl Popper and Thomas Kuhn, what makes science special and some odd contradictions at the core of scientific thinking. Get Michael's book "The Knowledge Machine" here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1324091088 0:00:00 Introduction 0:02:26 The origins of science 0:07:08 Karl Popper and Thomas Kuhn 0:15:59 What Popper and Kuhn were missing 0:20:50 Sociology of science 0:24:56 Contributions of philosophy of science 0:31:49 Bayesian probability 0:34:15 What makes science special? 0:41:06 The irrationality of science 0:45:25 Aesthetic and theological motivations in science 0:47:50 Caloric fluid vs kinetic theory of heat 0:57:15 Creativity in science 0:59:21 The tediousness of extreme detail 1:03:56 Can science make truth claims? 1:10:39 Philosophy of quantum mechanics 1:14:56 The biggest challenge of science If you would like to help the podcast grow so I can dedicate more time to it, a review on Apple Podcasts is super helpful. Thank you! https://podcasts.apple.com/si/podcast/anagoge-podcast/id1512482918 If you would like to connect with me on Instagram, you can do so at @anagogepodcast and @tiagobooks The intro song is by Lief Sjostrom, titled Peril from the album 'Impossible Parade'.

Juensung Kim is a PhD candidate at the University of Toronto, focusing on the science of self-transformation related to the psychology of religion and the cognitive science of magic. He is the lab manager of the Consciousness and Wisdom Studies Laboratory. In this episode, we discuss the meaning of magic and some of its scientific research. Other topics such as psychedelics, wisdom and transformation are also covered, especially in their connection to the meaning crisis and Juensung's work.

Jonathan Pageau is a carver who specializes in Eastern Orthodox Icons and other traditional Christian images. He graduated with distinction from the Painting and Drawing program at Concordia University in Montreal and has recently gained popularity on YouTube by discussing symbolic thought from Christianity and modern culture. In this episode, we cover a bit of his personal history, early greek thought, what love means, how reality unfolds, and much more. For those not familiar with his work, I recommend watching a couple of his videos first so you better understand his ideas, I have created a resource for it here: https://sites.google.com/view/jonathanpageau/

In the 4th episode of our podcast, we finally get into some psychology. I had a very insightful conversation with Dr. Steven Sloman. He received his Ph.D. in Psychology from Stanford University, and he is a cognitive scientist who studies how people think, particularly collective cognition. He wrote a book with Phil Fernbach titled The Knowledge Illusion: Why We Never Think Alone. We cover a fair bit in this episode, ranging from computational and alternative models of cognitive science, consciousness, his book knowledge illusion, the current age of information, the problem and reliability of expertise, and more. I hope you find it enjoyable!