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Ned Block

Philosopher and Silver Professor at New York University specializing in philosophy of mind and consciousness, known for distinguishing phenomenal and access consciousness and for work on biological vs. computational accounts of consciousness.

Top 5 podcasts with Ned Block

Ranked by the Snipd community
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156 snips
Jan 5, 2026 • 1h 11min

339 | Ned Block on Whether Consciousness Requires Biology

Ned Block, a distinguished philosopher and Silver Professor at NYU, dives into the complex nature of consciousness. He emphasizes the distinction between phenomenal and access consciousness, challenging the limits of the Turing Test. Block critiques computational functionalism, arguing that physical mechanisms may be essential for true consciousness. They explore whether AI could ever truly be conscious and discuss the moral implications of consciousness in machines. Block's insights shed light on the evolving conversation around what it means to be aware.
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61 snips
Dec 29, 2024 • 1h 35min

239 - Ned Block: Consciousness, Artificial Intelligence, and the Philosophy of Mind

Ned Block, a Silver Professor of Philosophy and Psychology at NYU, dives into the perplexities of consciousness and artificial intelligence. He critiques the Turing Test and discusses its shortcomings in assessing AI like ChatGPT. The conversation spans interesting concepts such as blindsight, the connection between seeing and thinking, and the provocative thought experiments that challenge our understanding of intelligence. Block also reflects on his own philosophical influences, making for a deeply engaging dialogue.
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Jul 10, 2024 • 1h 18min

Ned Block on Perception, Cognition, and Consciousness

Philosopher Ned Block discusses perception, cognition, and consciousness in his latest book. Topics include the limitations of AI achieving consciousness, theories of consciousness, the non-conceptual aspect of perception, distinctions between phenomenal and access consciousness, challenges in higher order theories of consciousness, panpsychism, building machines with chemical neurotransmitters, and the concept of substituting biological elements with silicon chips.
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Aug 19, 2019 • 55min

Ep. 223: Guest Ned Block on Consciousness (Part Two)

Ned Block, philosopher of mind known for work on consciousness and the access vs phenomenal distinction, joins to debate Chalmers' fading qualia and robot replacement thought experiments. He defends biological criteria for consciousness, critiques historical/teleological accounts, and previews a book on perception vs cognition. The conversation also ranges over experiments, animal pain, and limits of testing phenomenal experience.
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Aug 12, 2019 • 50min

Ep. 223: Guest Ned Block on Consciousness (Part One)

Ned Block, NYU philosopher known for work on consciousness and access vs phenomenal consciousness. He clarifies distinctions like phenomenal, access, and self-consciousness. They debate whether androids like Data could be sentient and how levels of functional or neural isomorphism count as evidence. Discussions range from blindsight and no-report paradigms to evolutionary candidates for nonphenomenal minds.

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