Tom Froese, Embodied Cognitive Science Unit (ECSU)

Mind matters to behavior generation. But what kind of measurable traces does it leave in brain activity? Irruption theory explained in <5mins: vimeo.com/956376088/de78…

New book stack for the unit! 🤓 I’m developing some ideas related to time perception, so working my way through Barbour… but it’s much harder to agree with him after being a fan of Smolin’s temporal realism! 🤔

Broken mirror symmetry does not need a reference frame - the symmetry is intrinsic: one side structurally entails the other. And if the other side is not present, then it is counterfactually absent - absorption as a signature of the emergence of matter, life, and…

I love it when new meets old!

It would be nice to formally do a compare and contrast between how integrated information theory and irruption theory conceptualize how meaning makes a difference!

Without a scientific solution to the fact-value gap, and a rejection of a scientific image of reality void of value, appeals to chart a “moral future” will be without proper foundation nature.com/articles/d4158…

Just came across this article, which seems to make a good starting point at formulating the information-theoretic basis for absorption of neural variability into consciousness! mdpi.com/1099-4300/24/1…

Does a hive of bees constitute a unified agent in its own right? 🐝+🐝+... =🐝? 🤔 Using a 2D cellular automata model of bee movement dynamics, recent PhD graduate Dr @Ivan_Shpurov revealed time series signatures that support this collective integration. arxiv.org/abs/2507.11592

Attractive consciousness science opportunity! 🤗

It saddens me to see such overreach in a popular science bestseller. 😔 The “Core Theory” is not “sufficient to describe every phenomenon that happens in your everyday experience”. Why isn’t there more pushback? Physics needs a theory that can better recognize its own limits.

Really enjoyed the style of this paper - starting with a great title and video abstract! An additional question that came to my mind about information theory: How would the generalized Bekenstein bound fit into the main figure? pubs.aip.org/aapt/ajp/artic…

New unit account was launched! 🚀

The trouble with physics is that it gets away with equating persons to rocks! 🪨 In one small step, reality is rid of human existence: its agency, consciousness, beliefs, goals, norms, conventions, … Surely physics can do better to make sense of its conditions of possibility?

The joy of discovery, when your mind makes first contact, and the world becomes changed forever 🤗

Nice example of experimental archeology in the Ryukyu Islands - it boggles my mind to think that the first people arrived here over 30,000 years ago! nytimes.com/2025/06/25/sci…

Fascinating work on enhancing memory using VR, haptics, bio-feedback, generative AI, etc. Clark and Chalmers’ extended mind hypothesis in practice!

On my way to my first IEEE World Haptics Conference - and my first time in South Korea! 👋 We’re finalizing several manuscripts on haptic sensory substitution and on dyadic social haptics, so I’m looking forward to brainstorming and sharing ideas! 🤓 2025.worldhaptics.org

Not sure why IIT is being singled out… I think it would be useful to take a closer look at all major theories of consciousness to see if they actually make testable predictions about consciousness! nature.com/articles/d4158…

Final checks to our perceptual crossing hyperscanning setup before team members depart for data collection at Kyoto University Hospital. Super grateful to our technicians who can make sense of all that dense mix of cables, interfaces, recording equipment, and laptops! 🙏😅