Cognitive scientist & philosopher • Language, Psychology, Culture, Society, Evolution • When not doing science I dance the lindy hop
Jan 17, 2022 • 6 tweets • 2 min read
I've been thinking about crypto and NFTs a lot lately.
Six conclusions:
1. The technology is indeed revolutionary. That's not to say current cryptocurrencies are here to stay but the blockchain is. Sooner or later central banks will start using it somehow.
2. The value of crypto is not secured by anything except mutually held beliefs in its value. Fiat currencies are different because they are ultimately secured by the forces of a nation state, and its legitimate monopoly on violence. Not so for crypto.
Jul 19, 2019 • 16 tweets • 7 min read
New paper: "The Art Experience".
In which we argue that artworks and art galleries function by exploiting the cognitive mechanisms usually involved in ordinary, day-to-day communication.
1/14
From my point-of-view it started life with tweet from @woodennoodles, who was live tweeting the #beyondmeaning17 conference. I wanted to attend but couldn't, so was following the highlights on Twitter.
(Or: How I learned to stop worrying & love informality)
1/24
#science#philosophy#whyiliketheideasthatilike
TL,DR: naturalism is a basic commitment of scientific explanation, & formalism a tool that can help achieve it – yet people too often prioritise the latter over the former.
