HeyJaredCognitive Wonderland
Science, philosophy, and science fiction geekiness, with a special interest in neuroscience and philosophy of mind. Publishes weekly on Thursdays.
- Indexed issues, last 90 days
- 12
- Latest publication
- Sep 24, 2026
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- Checking…
- Earliest in this view
- Aug 6, 2026
Latest issues
Should you do a PhD? (opens the original)
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When I talk to young people online about science and philosophy, there’s one question that often comes up: Should they do a PhD?Everything depends on circumstance. I think there are some situations where someone very obviously should do a PhD: They want a position that requires a PhD, they’re clear-eyed about their chances and what the process looks like.Cognitive Wonderland is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consi
October Book Club: The Laws of Thought by Tom Griffiths (opens the original)
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The results of the poll are in: We’ll be reading The Laws of Thought by Tom Griffiths in October!<source type
Are we wet robots? (opens the original)
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Are our brains computers?Neuroscientists will often give a heavily qualified “yes” to this question. The brain is different from a desktop computer. It doesn’t have a graphics card or a hard drive. There’s no clean distinction between hardware or software in the brain, and processing happens in a massively parallel way. But the brain computes—it takes information and transforms it.The theoretical neuroscientist Romain Brette argues against this qualified “yes” in his book, <a href="https://press
October Book Club Poll (opens the original)
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Hi everyone,Here’s a list of the books we’re voting on this month:The Laws of Thought by Tom GriffithsFrom the back cover: Everyone has a basic understanding of how the physical world works. We learn about physics and chemistry in school, letting us explain the world around us in terms of concepts like force, acceleration, and gravity―the Laws of Nature. But we don’t have the same fluency with concepts needed to understand the world inside us―the Laws of
Your Unconscious Isn’t Solving Your Problems (opens the original)
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How do you solve a hard problem? Mostly, the advice goes, by not thinking about it. Work on it enough to get the problem in your head, and then do something else. Your unconscious will work on the problem, and when you go back to it, you’ll be able to solve it.We’ve all had the experience of being in the shower or out for a walk, not thinking about anything in particular, when in a sudden burst of inspiration we see the solution to a problem we’ve been struggling with.<div
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