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Comment by frereubu | Hacker News Reader

Fellow former neuroscientist here! The proliferation of pseudo-neuro explanations and analogies is infuriating. I envy people like theoretical physicists who work in a field where laypeople don't feel like they have an intuitive understanding of their subject area.

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Maybe you haven't noticed how "quantum" is being thrown around these days, check https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_healing and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_mysticism

I for one am a specialist on quantum mechanics since I read Steven Hawking. It's all bonkers, I can tell you that, but because of the uncertainty principle, I'm not really sure. That's OK because there is some parallel world in the multiverse in which it isn't. And please don't ask me to explain, I've read enough to know that by Hoffstadter's Incompleteness theorems I cannot prove it.

I know that dog created the universe with a pair of parentheses and after that it was pretty much backwards and uphill.

ok maybe not: https://xkcd.com/224/

Former physicist here! Hearing people talk about vibrations, entanglement, dimensions, quantum and other specific terminology in a more or less woowoo/spiritual context is just as infuriating.

Fiction writer here. If I had a penny for each time one of my readers asked, "So did they go to another dimension?"...

I really wish there were more books for laypeople by neuroscientists. I don't care much for theoretical physics personally, but a lot of people want to understand their own brains.

> lot of people want to understand their own brains.

You are what you think. I have no idea how or why... but I know this is so.

>You are what you think. I have no idea how or why... but I know this is so.

Given the evidence that conscious thought, self-awareness and "free will" are post-hoc effects, emerging after decisions are made by the brain at a subconscious level, it's more likely that that you are what thinks you.

I gather there is some debate in the field as to whether this is a true effect or a consequence of bad measurements. I do find it fascinating and await better evidence before making my mind up either way.

I do, however, appreciate your splendid and witty statement and shall reward you with an upvote :-)

> Given the evidence that conscious thought, self-awareness and "free will" are post-hoc effects, emerging after decisions

But I thought I was a racer from age 6... and now I are one.

I remember Richard Feynman (a theoretical physicist) explaining how you could deduce things about the human mind by observing behavior and self-reported internal states.

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