Uploaded May 2022 | Updated September 2026, 7 hours ago
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Music by: The New Year: thenewyear.net
Show notes: braininspired.co/podcast/137
Brian Butterworth is Emeritus Professor of Cognitive Neuropsychology at University College London. In his book, Can Fish Count?: What Animals Reveal About Our Uniquely Mathematical Minds, he describes the counting and numerical abilities across many different species, suggesting our ability to count is evolutionarily very old (since many diverse species can count). We discuss many of the examples in his book, the mathematical disability dyscalculia and its relation to dyslexia, how to test counting abilities in various species, how counting may happen in brains, the promise of creating artificial networks that can do math, and many more topics.
0:00 - Intro
3:19 - Why Counting?
5:31 - Dyscalculia
12:06 - Dyslexia
19:12 - Counting
26:37 - Origins of counting vs. language
34:48 - Counting vs. higher math
46:46 - Counting some things and not others
53:33 - How to test counting
1:03:30 - How does the brain count?
1:13:10 - Are numbers real?
Patreon for full episodes and Discord community:
patreon.com/braininspired
Free Video Series: Open Questions in AI and Neuroscience:
braininspired.co/open
Apple podcasts: itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/brain-inspired/id1428880766?mt=2
Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/2UZj8c8Ap5oc2gh2rJxLLe
Music by: The New Year: thenewyear.net
Show notes: braininspired.co/podcast/137
Brian Butterworth is Emeritus Professor of Cognitive Neuropsychology at University College London. In his book, Can Fish Count?: What Animals Reveal About Our Uniquely Mathematical Minds, he describes the counting and numerical abilities across many different species, suggesting our ability to count is evolutionarily very old (since many diverse species can count). We discuss many of the examples in his book, the mathematical disability dyscalculia and its relation to dyslexia, how to test counting abilities in various species, how counting may happen in brains, the promise of creating artificial networks that can do math, and many more topics.
0:00 - Intro
3:19 - Why Counting?
5:31 - Dyscalculia
12:06 - Dyslexia
19:12 - Counting
26:37 - Origins of counting vs. language
34:48 - Counting vs. higher math
46:46 - Counting some things and not others
53:33 - How to test counting
1:03:30 - How does the brain count?
1:13:10 - Are numbers real?
