Inner Cosmos with David Eagleman cover image

Inner Cosmos with David Eagleman

Ep27 "Can we read brains at an airport to know who's going to bomb a plane?"

Sep 25, 2023
Explore the possibilities and limitations of mind-reading technology, including portable brain scanning in airports. Discover the incredible potential of brain-computer interfaces in controlling the outside world. Learn about the decoding of words from brain signals and the complex nature of thoughts. Understand the challenges of brain interpretation and understanding someone's thoughts and emotions. Find out how to access more podcast content and enjoy some travel and sale advertisements.
49:38

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

  • Brain reading involves analyzing brain signals to determine what a person is perceiving, while mind reading requires understanding a person's unique neural network and experiences.
  • Mind reading, in the sense of understanding the full depth of an individual's thoughts and experiences, is currently an immense technological and scientific challenge that may not be achievable in our lifetimes or even for future generations in the near term.

Deep dives

Brain reading vs. Mind reading

The podcast episode explores the difference between brain reading and mind reading. Brain reading refers to the ability to analyze and decode brain signals to determine what a person is seeing, hearing, or intending to say. This is accomplished through various techniques such as fMRI and EEG. Mind reading, on the other hand, refers to the ability to read the rich and complex internal thoughts and experiences of an individual. While significant progress has been made in brain reading, mind reading remains a distant goal due to the unique and subjective nature of individual thoughts and experiences. Mind reading would require a deep understanding of a person's entire history, experiences, and neural network, which is currently an immense technological and scientific challenge.

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