Uploaded January 2026 | Updated September 2026, 48 minutes ago
Michael Shadlen on how unconscious thoughts become conscious via the affordance to report one's cognition to others or one's self - i.e., via theory of mind.
Show notes: braininspired.co/podcast/230
Patreon (full episodes, archive, Discord, more): patreon.com/braininspired
Apple podcasts: itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/brain-inspired/id1428880766?mt=2
Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/2UZj8c8Ap5oc2gh2rJxLLe
Music by @dunovank
The Transmitter is an online publication that aims to deliver useful information, insights and tools to build bridges across neuroscience and advance research. Visit thetransmitter.org to explore the latest neuroscience news and perspectives, written by journalists and scientists.
Read more about our partnership: thetransmitter.org/partners
Sign up for the “Brain Inspired” email alerts to be notified every time a new “Brain Inspired” episode is released: thetransmitter.org/newsletters
To explore more neuroscience news and perspectives, visit thetransmitter.org.
0:00 - Intro
7:05 - Overview of Mike's account
9:10 - Thought as interrogation
21:03 - Neurons and thoughts
27:05 - Why so many neurons?
36:21 - Evolution of Mike's thinking
39:48 - Marleau-Ponty, cognition, and meaning
44:54 - Naturalistic tasks
51:11 - Consciousness
58:01 - Martin Buber and relational consciousness
1:00:18 - Social and conscious phenomena correlated
1:04:17 - Function vs. nature of consciousness
1:06:05 - Did language evolve because of consciousness?
1:11:11 - Weak phenomenology and long-range feedback
1:22:02 - How does interrogation work in the brain?
1:26:18 - AI consciousness
1:35:49 - The hard problem of consciousness
1:39:34 - Meditation and flow
Michael Shadlen on how unconscious thoughts become conscious via the affordance to report one's cognition to others or one's self - i.e., via theory of mind.
Show notes: braininspired.co/podcast/230
Patreon (full episodes, archive, Discord, more): patreon.com/braininspired
Apple podcasts: itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/brain-inspired/id1428880766?mt=2
Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/2UZj8c8Ap5oc2gh2rJxLLe
Music by @dunovank
The Transmitter is an online publication that aims to deliver useful information, insights and tools to build bridges across neuroscience and advance research. Visit thetransmitter.org to explore the latest neuroscience news and perspectives, written by journalists and scientists.
Read more about our partnership: thetransmitter.org/partners
Sign up for the “Brain Inspired” email alerts to be notified every time a new “Brain Inspired” episode is released: thetransmitter.org/newsletters
To explore more neuroscience news and perspectives, visit thetransmitter.org.
0:00 - Intro
7:05 - Overview of Mike's account
9:10 - Thought as interrogation
21:03 - Neurons and thoughts
27:05 - Why so many neurons?
36:21 - Evolution of Mike's thinking
39:48 - Marleau-Ponty, cognition, and meaning
44:54 - Naturalistic tasks
51:11 - Consciousness
58:01 - Martin Buber and relational consciousness
1:00:18 - Social and conscious phenomena correlated
1:04:17 - Function vs. nature of consciousness
1:06:05 - Did language evolve because of consciousness?
1:11:11 - Weak phenomenology and long-range feedback
1:22:02 - How does interrogation work in the brain?
1:26:18 - AI consciousness
1:35:49 - The hard problem of consciousness
1:39:34 - Meditation and flow
