Dangerous ideas

Online boffin brigade Edge have asked a wide range of contemporary thinkers to outline their own ‘dangerous ideas‘.

The list includes a number of cognitive scientists, and an even wider selection of authors commenting on mind, brain and culture. Most of them, although fascinating, don’t strike me as very dangerous. A few did make me particularly prick up my ears though:

Cognitive neuroscientist Stephen Kosslyn offers a set of hypotheses concerning a scientific theory of God, anthropologist Helen Fisher suggests SSRIs affect love and predicts of dire consequences for society as a result and philosopher Barry Smith argues cognitive science may have limited relevancy for everyday life.

…and once you’ve read all the commentaries, dig those photos!

Link to The Edge Annual Question 2006: What is your dangerous idea?

UPDATE: The newly returned Mixing Memory has some interesting comments on some of the cognitive science ideas.

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