The Cognitive Crucible #234 Robert Thibadeau on a Million Identities and Computational Cognitive Neuroscience
Oct 7, 2025
Robert Thibadeau, a pioneering computational cognitive neuroscientist from Carnegie Mellon, dives deep into the complexities of identity and privacy in the digital age. He proposes that we should manage a million identities on chips, allowing us to selectively share and protect our personal information. Thibadeau also discusses the role of the brain as a truth engine, how enforced moderated dialogue can revive societal norms, and the transition from the Internet Court of Lies to TruthCourt, aiming to create a more trustworthy online discourse.
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Brain As A Parallel Truth Engine
- Human brains are massively parallel truth engines that predict and minimize costly actions.
- Deception and privacy are natural computations the brain uses to survive and manage social interaction.
Thoughts As Massive Propositional Computations
- Thought and perception operate as propositions across massive parallel neuron populations.
- Unexpected inputs trigger focused processing because the brain conserves energy until action is needed.
Control Privacy With Role-Based Identities
- Manage privacy by separating your online roles so services cannot link all your activities.
- Use a device that stores many unique identities and share role-based identities selectively.
