#42: Academic dissonance, unexpected paths & process with neuroscientist and Brain Inspired Paul Middlebrooks

Send a love messageNeuroscience, AI, and Philosophy with Paul from Brain InspiredCan we think about education (and age) differently? Was it worth it to give up academia, move into an RV and create a podcast?Can we think differently about computation and representation?Paul Middlebrooks is no gadfly but as you'll hear, the one thing he knows is that he does not know (as Plato quotes Socrates: "All I know is that I know nothing.") He quit academia and started a podcast and has since become an important voice to many of us through his questioning. #loveandphilosophy #neuroai #podcasting #neuroscience #brain #inspired Shownotes: www.loveandphilosophy.com Brain inspired just had its 200th episode ! And this is a celebration of it.Paul spent over 10 years as a neuroscientist studying visual decision-making in nonhuman primates. A few years as a technician, 4 years obtaining a PhD, and 6 years as a postdoctoral researcher. Then he left academia and he and his wife sold all their stuff, moved into an RV, and roamed around the country, ending up in Durango for a time. During that time, he also started Brain Inspired. Now Paul is a Special Faculty Research Associate in the Yttri Lab at Carnegie Mellon University, studying the wonders of neuroethology. 00:00 Introduction and Greetings00:06 Starting the Brain Inspired Podcast00:43 AI and Neuroscience: A Changing Landscape00:59 Philosophical Perspectives on AI03:28 Challenges in Neuroscience Terminology04:11 Struggles with Scientific Paradigms12:30 Exploring Metacognition in Monkeys20:27 Transitioning from Academia to Podcasting23:45 Recording Single Neurons: A Phenomenological Insight32:56 The Motivation Behind the Podcast42:37 Selling Everything and Hitting the Road42:56 Starting an Online Business43:11 The Birth of Brain Inspired44:10 Struggles and Financial Realities45:03 Returning to Academia45:43 The Role of Podcasts in Science Communication49:01 Philosophy and Neuroscience56:35 The Importance of Models in Science01:12:20 The Human Side of Academia01:14:31 Love and Legacy01:20:38 Final ReflectionsPatricia Churchland NeurophilosophyMark H. Bickhard: Mind as Process, Process MetaphysicsJoin #AndreaHiott and #PaulMiddlebrooks from the 'Brain Inspired' podcast. They discuss the evolution of neuroscience and AI from 2018 to 2024, personal journeys in academia, the influence of philosophical perspectives, and the nuances of love and consciousness. Paul shares insights on the challenges of balancing career ambitions with personal values and family life, and how his podcast has become a bridge for deeper learning and connection in the scientific community. This episode is a blend of professional insights and intimate reflections on the human experience.Full intro and notes here.Care is not the opposite of love. It is the very urge of life. 'Caring for what?' is the primary question. That we have a choice about what we care for and how is what makes us human, but it's quite the challenge and responsibility. Let's help one another handle it.Support the showBuy Holding Paradox: The Navigational Approach to Mind and Consciousness by Andrea HiottSign up for Making Ways newsletter and projects.Please rate and review with love. YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Substack.