The Illusion of Understanding
Wittgenstein, Neuroscience, and Why Language Is Not Thought in Humans or AI
PhilosophyPsychology
Mosaics Newsletter.
Stephanie Shen on the mind, consciousness, and ideas from philosophy, neuroscience, and literature.
Recent essays
20 of 20Plato and the Fragile Balance of the Soul
Why Ancient Psychology Still Matters in the Age of AI
Wordsworth and the Life of Memory
How Memory Changes Over Time, and Shapes Who We Become
What is Color?
And Why It Demands a New Worldview
Between Being and Thinking: Consciousness Reconsidered
Heidegger’s Reframing of How We Perceive the World and Ourselves
When the Machine Learns Too Well
From Engineering to Experimentation: Can We Keep AI Safe?
The Self and Consciousness
In 1637, René Descartes, the father of modern philosophy, made his claim “I think, therefore I am” in his book Discourse on the Method. Four years later, he published Meditations on First Philosophy, in which he drew a clear line between the mind and the body:
Stream of Thought and Consciousness: What’s Missing?
Exploring Psychological Studies, Brain Theories, and Machine Minds
Plato vs Aristotle: The Two Opposing Minds Behind Human Thought
And Why We Need Both to Understand Ourselves
Consciousness Defined? Why It’s Still a Problem
And what we can learn from defining life
What Does David Hume Tell Us About Cognitive Bias?
A Reflection on Rationality
What is the Beast Machine Theory of Consciousness?
In the history of science, breakthroughs often stemmed from addressing the questions that were ignored or even ridiculed.
3 Pillars for Sustained Productivity
Elon Musk and his AI team doubled their impressive data center from 100,000 to 200,000 GPUs in just three months, as showcased in a recent YouTube video about the release of Grok 3.
The Psychology of AI Predictions
On February 11, 2025, Vice President JD Vance delivered a powerful speech at the Paris AI Summit, offering a fresh perspective on the future of artificial intelligence (AI).
Artificial Intelligence and the Human Mind: The Challenges of an Emotionless Machine in an Emotional World
A fundamental difference between artificial intelligence (AI) and human intelligence is emotion–machines lack it entirely, while humans cannot escape it.
DeepSeek's Leapfrog Moment: A Modern Example of Underdogs Turning Disadvantages to Success
Most of you must have read or heard at least one of Malcolm Gladwell’s best-selling books, such as Outlier, The Tipping Point, or Blink.
Is Object vs Subject a Real Dichotomy?
Everyone admits writing is hard.
Transforming Consciousness: The Core of Human Nature
We constantly wonder:
The Evolving Self: What Drives Our Own Transformation?
When my daughter was around four, I considered having a 2nd child.
How Would We Really Know if LLM is Conscious?
Perhaps we can find an answer in metaphors.