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Joscha Bach is a cognitive scientist focusing on cognitive architectures, consciousness, models of mental representation, emotion, motivation and sociality.

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iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcasthttps://pdora.co/33b9lfP Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4gL14b9… Subreddit r/TheoriesOfEverything: / theoriesofeverything Merch: https://tinyurl.com/TOEmerch 0:00:00 Introduction 0:00:17 Bach’s work ethic / daily routine 0:01:35 What is your definition of truth? 0:04:41 Nature’s substratum is a “quantum graph”? 0:06:25 Mathematics as the descriptor of all language 0:13:52 Why is constructivist mathematics “real”? What’s the definition of “real”? 0:17:06 What does it mean to “exist”? Does “pi” exist? 0:20:14 The mystery of something vs. nothing. Existence is the default. 0:21:11 Bach’s model vs. the multiverse 0:26:51 Is the universe deterministic 0:28:23 What determines the initial conditions, as well as the rules? 0:30:55 What is time? Is time fundamental? 0:34:21 What’s the optimal algorithm for finding truth? 0:40:40 Are the fundamental laws of physics ultimately “simple”? 0:50:17 The relationship between art and the artist’s cost function 0:54:02 Ideas are stories, being directed by intuitions 0:58:00 Society has a minimal role in training your intuitions 0:59:24 Why does art benefit from a repressive government? 1:04:01 A market case for civil rights 1:06:40 Fascism vs communism 1:10:50 Bach’s “control / attention / reflective recall” model 1:13:32 What’s more fundamental… Consciousness or attention? 1:16:02 The Chinese Room Experiment 1:25:22 Is understanding predicated on consciousness? 1:26:22 Integrated Information Theory of consciousness (IIT) 1:30:15 Donald Hoffman’s theory of consciousness 1:32:40 Douglas Hofstadter’s “strange loop” theory of consciousness 1:34:10 Holonomic Brain theory of consciousness 1:34:42 Daniel Dennett’s theory of consciousness 1:36:57 Sensorimotor theory of consciousness (embodied cognition) 1:44:39 What is intelligence? 1:45:08 Intelligence vs. consciousness 1:46:36 Where does Free Will come into play, in Bach’s model? 1:48:46 The opposite of free will can lead to, or feel like, addiction 1:51:48 Changing your identity to effectively live forever 1:59:13 Depersonalization disorder as a result of conceiving of your “self” as illusory 2:02:25 Dealing with a fear of loss of control 2:05:00 What about heart and conscience? 2:07:28 How to test / falsify Bach’s model of consciousness 2:13:46 How has Bach’s model changed in the past few years? 2:14:41 Why Bach doesn’t practice Lucid Dreaming anymore 2:15:33 Dreams and GAN’s (a machine learning framework) 2:18:08 If dreams are for helping us learn, why don’t we consciously remember our dreams 2:19:58 Are dreams “real”? Is all of reality a dream? 2:20:39 How do you practically change your experience to be most positive / helpful? 2:23:56 What’s more important than survival? What’s worth dying for? 2:28:27 Bach’s identity 2:29:44 Is there anything objectively wrong with hating humanity? 2:30:31 Practical Platonism 2:33:00 What “God” is 2:36:24 Gods are as real as you, Bach claims 2:37:44 What “prayer” is, and why it works 2:41:06 Our society has lost its future and thus our culture 2:43:24 What does Bach disagree with Jordan Peterson about? 2:47:16 The millennials are the first generation that’s authoritarian since WW2 2:48:31 Bach’s views on the “social justice” movement 2:51:29 Universal Basic Income as an answer to social inequality, or General Artificial Intelligence? 2:57:39 Nested hierarchy of “I“s (the conflicts within ourselves) 2:59:22 In the USA, innovation is “cheating” (for the most part) 3:02:27 Activists are usually operating on false information 3:03:04 Bach’s Marxist roots and lessons to his former self 3:08:45 BONUS BIT: On societies problems.
Pandora: https://pdora.co/33b9lfP
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4gL14b9
Subreddit r/TheoriesOfEverything: / theoriesofeverything.
Merch: https://tinyurl.com/TOEmerch.

0:00:00 Introduction.
0:00:17 Bach’s work ethic / daily routine.
0:01:35 What is your definition of truth?
0:04:41 Nature’s substratum is a \.

I normally don’t post videos, but I think many may want to watch this it’s pretty cool. A guy talks about or rather reviews 7 Free AI tools that you can try out now. Some you get credits, and then subscribe later. They are pretty cool. The one that makes music from a description is hilarious.


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Full Repository: https://bit.ly/4bw2uyI

Keywords: technological advances, economical inequality, GinI coefficient, Ricci flow, Perelman models, technological innovations, research and development, innovations, sensitive analyze, automatization, economic stability, socio-economic challenges.

JEL Classification: E22, O11, O32.

Cite as: Gondauri, D. (2024). SocioEconomic Challenges, 8, 161–175. https://doi.org/10.61093/sec.8.161-175.2024.

Access to freshwater is changing rapidly, with water stress affecting billions of people and countless businesses each year. Droughts and floods are becoming more frequent and severe, water pollution continues to rise and, without urgent action, we will soon reach a tipping point. This report outlines key pathways to strengthen water resilience, through private sector and multi-stakeholder action, and secure the future of water for society and the global economy.

Every industry depends on water. This makes water resilience not just an environmental concern, but a cornerstone of economic stability, business continuity and prosperity. Rising demand, driven by population growth, shifting consumption and the energy transition, is further straining resources. With an economic value estimated at $58 trillion, water’s critical importance and the scale of the challenge cannot be overstated.

No company or government can build water resilience alone. The World Economic Forum’s Water Futures Community brings together public and private sector sectors leaders to accelerate investment and action. In collaboration with McKinsey & Company, this report offers a systems approach for our community of partners to strengthen water resilience and highlights opportunities for collective action to accelerate solutions at scale.

The rapid evolution of artificial intelligence (AI) is poised to create societal transformations. Indeed, AI is already emerging as a factor in geopolitics, with malicious non-state actors exploiting its capabilities to spread misinformation and potentially develop autonomous weapons. To be sure, not all countries are equal in AI, and bridging the “AI divide” between the Global North and South is vital to ensuring equal representation while addressing regulatory concerns and the equitable distribution of benefits that can be derived from the technology.

Most G20 members have established comprehensive national AI strategies, notably technology giants like the United States, United Kingdom, China, and countries of the European Union. Global South nations such as Brazil, Argentina, and India, despite economic constraints, are demonstrating progress in leveraging AI in areas like social services and agriculture. Future strategies must anticipate emerging threats like Generative AI (GenAI) and Quantum AI, prioritising responsible governance to mitigate biases, inequalities, and cybersecurity risks.

Against the backdrop of global democratic backsliding and the rise of authoritarianism, Footnote 1 the nature of authoritarian propaganda and public diplomacy has undergone significant changes. In particular, the transformation of the information environment brought about by the global proliferation of social media has created new avenues for authoritarian states to exert influence over democratic publics. Footnote 2 Notable examples include Russia’s intervention in the 2016 U.S. presidential election Footnote 3 and the dissemination of disinformation regarding COVID-19 by Chinese diplomats. Footnote 4 These actions are referred to as “sharp power,” defined as attempts to “pierce, penetrate, or perforate the information environments in the targeted countries” Footnote 5 with the aim of altering public opinion in democratic countries to favour authoritarian regimes. Footnote 6 Unlike soft power, which appeals to cultural and value-based attractions, sharp power operates as a means to destabilize target countries, weaken their commitment to democracy, and enhance the perceived superiority of authoritarian systems using disinformation and economic incentives. Footnote 7

At the core of sharp power lies the narrative, which is a story-based message that appeals to emotions and values, Footnote 8 and by sustaining attention and fostering emotional resonance, narratives often influence audience behaviour more than objective statistical facts or logical arguments. Footnote 9 Given their persuasive power and emotional impact, narratives are a potent tool for shaping people’s attitudes and behaviours. Political actors leverage narratives not only to strengthen their own position but also to undermine the arguments of opposing forces. Footnote 10 In particular, authoritarian governments use favourable narratives both domestically and internationally to reinforce the legitimacy of their regimes and to emphasise the superiority of authoritarian systems over democratic systems, thereby contributing to a global power shift.

Coal ash in the U.S. holds substantial rare earth elements, potentially reducing dependence on imports, with ongoing research and pilot projects working to make extraction economically viable.

Coal ash, the powdery residue left after burning coal for fuel, has accumulated across the United States for decades. New research from the University of Texas at Austin reveals that this vast supply contains enough rare earth elements to significantly strengthen the nation’s reserves without the need for additional mining.

“This really exemplifies the ‘trash to treasure’ mantra,” said co-lead author Bridget Scanlon, a research professor at UT’s Bureau of Economic Geology at the Jackson School of Geosciences. “We’re basically trying to close the cycle and use waste and recover resources in the waste, while at the same time reducing environmental impacts.”

The European Commission is raising $20 billion to construct four “AI gigafactories” as part of Europe’s strategy to catch up with the U.S. and China on artificial intelligence, but some industry experts question whether it makes sense to build them.

The plan for the large public access data centers, unveiled by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen last month, will face challenges ranging from obtaining chips to finding suitable sites and electricity.

“Even if we would build such a big computing factory in Europe, and even if we would train a model on that infrastructure, once it’s ready, what do we do with it?” said Bertin Martens, of economic think tank Bruegel. It’s a chicken and egg problem. The hope is that new local firms such as France’s Nvidia-backed Mistral startup will grow and use them to create AI models that operate in line with EU AI safety and data protection rules, which are stricter than those in the U.S. or China.