The hottest Cognition Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
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Top Technology Topics

Black Iron Prisons

A blog. • 1 implied HN point • 17 Nov 24
📖 Philosophy Cognition
  1. A black iron prison is like a distorted way of thinking. People in it can hold strong beliefs, but those beliefs may not be based on what’s really true.
  2. It's important to consider that we might all be in some sort of mental prison. A good way to check this is to stay open-minded about our own beliefs and how they shape our views of the world.
  3. When we face big challenges or losses, it can help us break free from these prisons. Sometimes, experiences like therapy or even spiritual practices can help us see things differently.

A critique of successor representations as a model of learning in the hippocampus

Artificial General Ideas • 1 implied HN point • 14 Sep 24
🔬 Science Cognition
  1. Successor representations (SR) does not explain how place cells in the hippocampus learn or form. It assumes inputs that are already perfect place fields, so it can't help in understanding their development.
  2. Many claims about SR's abilities, like making predictions or forming hierarchies, actually relate to simpler models like Markov chains. SR doesn't add much value to those features.
  3. Experiments often used to support SR in humans might actually show evidence for more general planning methods. Model-based reasoning seems to fit the observed behavior better than SR does.

Trust Your Senses, Believe In Understanding

Joe Tourville • 2 implied HN points • 13 Jun 23
📖 Philosophy Cognition
  1. Our senses provide us with data, but our understanding shapes that data into meaningful knowledge.
  2. Sometimes our senses can be misleading, so it's important to trust our understanding to grasp reality.
  3. Perception is more than what meets the eye; it involves understanding, memory, and cognition.

Two Brains, One Team: System 1 and System 2

FutureIQ • 1 implied HN point • 20 Mar 23
🔬 Science Cognition
  1. We have two brains: a lizard brain that controls instincts and emotions, and a rational human brain for logical thinking.
  2. System 1 (fast, automatic, emotional) and System 2 (slow, logical) take turns solving tasks based on complexity and time constraints.
  3. System 1 and System 2 work best when they collaborate like a driver and a navigator, each having their roles.
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Know when to stop searching

do clouds feel vertigo? • 0 implied HN points • 16 Jan 24
📖 Philosophy Cognition
  1. Having courage can inspire more courage in others. Being brave can create a chain reaction of bravery.
  2. Focusing too much on every detail can lead to feelings of meaninglessness. When everything is known, it can feel like nothing matters.
  3. Having choices is great, but having too many can complicate things. It helps to set some limits to make decision-making easier.

The world is an open system

do clouds feel vertigo? • 0 implied HN points • 08 Jan 24
📖 Philosophy Cognition
  1. The world gives us a fresh start every day. This means we can change our stories and try new things, even if it feels hard sometimes.
  2. Simpler stories often hold more power in our lives. They can connect us better and are easier for everyone to relate to, even if they're vague.
  3. Some ideas stick around longer because of our shared experiences and how we connect with each other. This can make it tough to change our perspectives or break old habits.

The Problem with Language: Fuzzy Categories and Central Members

Divergent Futures • 0 implied HN points • 07 Aug 24
📖 Philosophy Cognition
  1. Language is a tool that helps us communicate but is not always perfect in representing ideas. It evolved to be useful but can lead to misunderstandings because categories are often fuzzy.
  2. When we think of a category, like 'cat', we picture a common example based on our experiences. This average image may overlook other varieties and details.
  3. Using math can improve our understanding of complex ideas. It helps us avoid confusion in discussions and see the world in a clearer, more precise way.

The Topology of Morality: How Evolution Can Help Us Understand Ethics

Divergent Futures • 0 implied HN points • 09 Jul 24
📖 Philosophy Cognition
  1. Morality is influenced by both nature and nurture. Our genes and environment shape how we understand right and wrong.
  2. Moral intuitions can emerge from evolutionary processes. They help us adapt and cooperate as groups, which is essential for survival.
  3. There isn't one perfect moral theory. Different cultures and individuals can have varied moral beliefs, but we can strive to improve our moral understanding together.

As AI Learns to Think and Reason, Will We Forget How To?

Nano Thoughts • 0 implied HN points • 22 Dec 24
🕹 Technology Cognition
  1. As AI gets better at thinking and reasoning, we might stop using our own minds for these tasks. If we keep letting machines do our thinking, we could lose our ability to reason over time.
  2. If we rely too much on technology, we might find ourselves unable to do simple things without it. Just like how some students struggle to write without help from tools like ChatGPT, we risk becoming dependent on AI.
  3. We need to keep exercising our minds while using AI, so we don't lose our reasoning skills. By actively thinking and learning alongside technology, we can ensure it supports us rather than replace our ability to think.

20250713

Curious futures (KGhosh) • 0 implied HN points • 13 Jul 25
🕹 Technology Cognition
  1. AI can make tasks easier, but relying on it too much can weaken our thinking skills. We should find a balance between using technology and exercising our minds.
  2. People often feel overwhelmed by the amount of information available today. It's important to take breaks and have real discussions instead of just scrolling through feeds.
  3. Embracing different opinions and dissent can help us think more clearly. Conversations with others can bring new insights, counteracting the noise from technology.

HOISTED FROM THE ARCHIVES: Cognition & "Active Reading"

Brad DeLong's Grasping Reality • 0 implied HN points • 08 Dec 25
🚌 Education Cognition
  1. Active reading is a hands-on way of reading where you annotate, flip pages, and mentally converse with authors to really understand ideas. Only a small slice of people have trained their brains to do this well.
  2. Large language models can act like ‘author bots’ that let readers have interactive dialogues with texts, summarise arguments, and answer questions, providing a shortcut to the benefits of active reading. They can serve as tutors so people don’t need years of training to think like hyperliterate readers.
  3. The practical path is many domain-specific, lean AI assistants that summarise material, use RAG, and act as bespoke tutors offering competing voices. This approach is likely more useful and economically viable than just building ever-larger general-purpose models.

Observers and entropy

Space chimp life • 0 implied HN points • 10 May 24
🔬 Science Cognition
  1. Entropy is a way to measure the uncertainty or disorder in a system. It can be understood through different models, and how we define our system affects how we calculate entropy.
  2. The concept of entropy relates to information as well. It’s about how well we can predict outcomes based on the information or 'alphabet' we use to understand a system.
  3. Both living organisms and neural networks try to minimize surprise and uncertainty by adjusting their internal models. This process helps efficiently process energy and information from their environment.

Humans, LLMs, and the symbol grounding problem (pt. 1)

The Counterfactual • 0 implied HN points • 16 Nov 22
🕹 Technology Cognition
  1. Humans understand language through experiences and actions. This means that we connect words with real-world meanings based on what we sense and do.
  2. Large Language Models (LLMs) struggle with understanding because they learn only from text. They lack the real-life experiences that humans have to ground their understanding in reality.
  3. Research shows that our brains activate specific areas related to actions when we comprehend language. This suggests that our ability to understand words may rely on these experiences and not just on the words themselves.

Are “Unconscious” People conscious?

Splattern • 0 implied HN points • 20 Dec 23
📖 Philosophy Cognition
  1. Scientists can now better tell if people in vegetative states are aware of their surroundings or can regain consciousness. This helps distinguish between those who can't react at all and those who have some mental activity.
  2. Consciousness is linked to specific brain activities. Researchers can use tools like EKGs and MRIs to recognize these brain patterns that indicate someone is conscious.
  3. Future technology might allow people with locked-in syndrome to communicate or control devices just by thinking. This could be a major breakthrough for better understanding and helping these patients.

Error Correction

Splattern • 0 implied HN points • 08 Jul 21
📖 Philosophy Cognition
  1. The Alexander Technique helps improve body awareness and sensitivity. This means becoming more in tune with how your body actually moves versus how you think it moves.
  2. Our understanding can be limited by our habits and experiences. Sometimes, a new perspective or outside influence can help us see things differently.
  3. Often, people don't act incorrectly on purpose. We can misjudge our actions because we don't have the right information or awareness about what we are doing.