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• [marginalium] The microbial content of a sourdough starter depends less on location than the way it is made and maintained — 5 Feb 2021
• [article] Autopoiesis: the origin of complex thought — 4 Feb 2021
  The complexity of our world determines the complexity of our actions. Simple enough to say, and perhaps to understand, but the implications are quite incredible and it all hinges on one concept: autopoiesis.
• [article] A narrative of 'grit' — 16 Jan 2021
  Angela Duckworth’s concept of the personality trait ‘grit’ is an interesting one, but it’s actually rather less helpful than the narrative about success she weaves in her book Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance.
• [article] Genetics is nurture — 11 Jan 2021
  How much of who we are and what we do is the result of our genetic predispositions, and how much because of our environment? This tension is made complicated by the fact that the dichotomy doesn’t really exist. Rather, our nature is a form of nurture.
• [marginalium] Why We Should Avoid Saying “Person With Autism” — 3 Jan 2021
• [article] The nuance in Maslow's Hierarchy — 23 Dec 2020
  Maslow’s hierarchy of needs is one of these ideas that’s regularly misapplied both inside and out of academic circles. Which seems ridiculous, because there isn’t much to it. And yet, properly understood, it’s a powerful tool for encouraging personal growth and success.
• [marginalium] The Rise of Women Stockholders — 13 Dec 2020
• [article] States of Mind — 5 Dec 2020
  There is no such thing as an ‘altered’ state of mind. Or rather, all states of mind are ones that are altered. Preferring the familiar ones provides a dangerous sense of safety, and avoiding the profound ones obscures some of the greatest benefits.
• [article] Consciousness vs Conscious Access — 25 Nov 2020
  When we think about the ‘mind’ and consciousness, we often make the mistake of equating these things with the ‘self’ that lives perched being the eyes. But the brain existed in nature long before the self, and many aspects of thinking don’t require the self at all.
• [article] Your personality doesn't belong to you — 17 Nov 2020
  The study of personality has a fairly storied history—a pretty contentious search for the essence of human expression. But more modern approaches to the study of personality show us something interesting—that our personalities might be something that’s forced upon us.
• [marginalium] Failures of arms control — 15 Nov 2020
• [article] Elemental Personalities — 5 Nov 2020
  Captain Planet and his Planeteers always seemed a little trite to me. Five young people, each with an elemental ring. And each with a personality to match. Seemed like lazy writing but now I’m wondering whether they intended to tap into millennia-old thought on personality styles, or whether it was just a happy accident.
• [article] The flaws of the human perspective — 29 Oct 2020
  The biologist’s time-machine is a classic thought experiment that re-emerges from time to time in the more eloquent textbooks, and shows us just how flawed the human perspective is.
• [marginalium] Remains of an ancient female big game hunter found — 25 Oct 2020
• [article] Advice on brain science from a farming manual — 22 Oct 2020
  In the early stages of a career in brain science, one learns very quickly that the human brain is still largely unknowable. But perhaps this is because our approach is wrong. Perhaps, rather than solving the unsolvable, we should be like the farmers of old. Observing, contemplating, and adding only a little helpful illumination on a complex problem.