Many Minds

Many Minds

Author: Kensy Cooperrider – Diverse Intelligences Summer Institute Language: English Episodes: 100
There's a quiet revolution happening in how we understand intelligence, and it's not just about humans. Many Minds, hosted by Kensy Cooperrider of the Diverse Intelligences Summer Institute, digs into this expansive idea. Each episode is a journey into the inner worlds of creatures and creations we share the planet with. You'll hear from researchers who decode the complex social minds of crows, who map the sensory universe of an octopus, or who grapple with the emerging cognition of artificial systems. This isn't a dry lecture series; it's a collection of thoughtful conversations that feel like pulling up a chair with experts who are genuinely redefining what it means to think, feel, and learn. The Many Minds podcast operates from a simple but profound premise: to grasp our own human experience, we need to listen to the many other kinds of minds around us. Tune in every other week for explorations that are as much about philosophy and wonder as they are about science and education, all grounded in rigorous research and a deep curiosity about the beings-animal, human, and artificial-that fill our world.
Episodes
From the archive: Revisiting the dawn of human cognition [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 56:06
Hi friends! We're taking a much-needed summer pause—we'll have new episodes for you later in September. In the meanwhile, enjoy this pick from our archives! ------- [originally aired June 1, 2023] There's a common story…
From the archive: Of molecules and memories [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:15:10
Hi friends! We're taking a much-needed August pause—we'll have new episodes for you in September. In the meanwhile, enjoy this pick from our archives! _____ [originally aired February 8, 2024] Where do memories live in t…
From the archive: Consider the spider [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:17:45
Hi friends! We're taking a much-needed August pause—we'll have new episodes for you in September. In the meanwhile, enjoy this pick from our archives! _____ [originally aired May 30, 2024] Maybe your idea of spiders is a…
The shaman with a thousand faces [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:18:16
When you hear the word "shaman," I'm guessing a web of associations starts to form in your mind. Perhaps you imagine strange ceremonies and strong substances; maybe you think of an earlier time when magic and superstitio…
Varieties of childhood [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:28:48
Childhood is a special time, a strange time. Children are adored and catered to—they're given their own menus and bedrooms. They're considered delicate and precious, and so we cushion them from every imaginable risk. Kid…
Science, AI, and illusions of understanding [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:47
AI will fundamentally transform science. It will supercharge the research process, making it faster and more efficient and broader in scope. It will make scientists themselves vastly more productive, more objective, mayb…
The primeval soil of play [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 56:37
Puppies wrestling and mock-biting each other. Toddlers playing hide and seek. Kittens pouncing—repeatedly—on a toy mouse. You've no doubt looked on at scenes like this with amusement. And you've no doubt seen some of tho…
The big five and beyond [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:46:39
If you've heard anything about the study of human personality, you've probably heard about the "big five." This is a framework that attempts to characterize human personality in terms of five broad factors or dimensions—…
Philosophers on psychedelics [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:40:49
Some call it the "psychedelic renaissance." In the last decade or so, interest in psychedelic drugs has surged—and not just among Silicon Valley types and psychiatrists and neuroscientists. It's also surged among a stere…
The cuttlefish and its coat of many colors [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:33:38
We humans have a hard time becoming invisible. For better or worse, we're basically stuck with the skin and body we have; we're pretty fixed in our color, our shape, our overall appearance. And so we're fascinated by cre…