Mike Anderson
@mljanderson.bsky.social
Neuroscientific philosopher; Philosophical neuroscientist. Rotman Institute of Philosophy. CRC at University of Western Ontario. http://www.emrglab.org
Pinned
Mike Anderson
@mljanderson.bsky.social
· Mar 11
The Surprising Way the Brain is Wired - Michael Anderson
YouTube video by Jack Roycroft-Sherry
youtu.be
“The surprising way the brain is wired” Podcast interview of my by Jack Roycroft youtu.be/9939jVJIZYo
WS World University Rankings. Western U philosophy program in top 50; #2 in Canada. www.topuniversities.com/university-s...
November 23, 2025 at 3:29 AM
WS World University Rankings. Western U philosophy program in top 50; #2 in Canada. www.topuniversities.com/university-s...
Very simple post on why AI is less than meets the eye. www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/afte...
Why Natural General Intelligence (Still) Reigns Supreme
When someone tells you that AI is going to replace human intelligence, you can honestly tell them that, as of this writing, it's impossible. So far, AI only reproduces what we do.
www.psychologytoday.com
November 21, 2025 at 5:55 PM
Very simple post on why AI is less than meets the eye. www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/afte...
Reposted by Mike Anderson
Is ecological neuroscience a feasible enterprise? After some theoretical work on ecological resonance, we've engaged on experimental research to test some of the hypotheses that follow from it. These are the first results of (hopefully) many more to come! It's open access 👇
doi.org/10.1111/psyp...
doi.org/10.1111/psyp...
<em>Psychophysiology</em> | SPR Journal | Wiley Online Library
This study bridges brain and body through ecological psychology and neuroscience by demonstrating how ecological information—in this case, “time to contact” or tau—constrains brain activity and as mu...
doi.org
September 5, 2025 at 12:45 PM
Is ecological neuroscience a feasible enterprise? After some theoretical work on ecological resonance, we've engaged on experimental research to test some of the hypotheses that follow from it. These are the first results of (hopefully) many more to come! It's open access 👇
doi.org/10.1111/psyp...
doi.org/10.1111/psyp...
Reposted by Mike Anderson
Sad day for peope who still believe brain areas are the primary organizational units of function in the brain.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
A brain-wide map of neural activity during complex behaviour - Nature
The International Brain Laboratory presents a brain-wide electrophysiological map obtained from pooling data from 12 laboratories that performed the same standardized perceptual decision-making task i...
www.nature.com
September 4, 2025 at 11:17 AM
Sad day for peope who still believe brain areas are the primary organizational units of function in the brain.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Mike Anderson
This week @universitypress.cambridge.org has granted free access to all titles in the collection of Cambridge Elements in the Philosophy of Biology, edited by Grant Ramsey. There are many options to choose from! Happy reading! 📕👇 www.cambridge.org/core/publica... #philsci #HPbio #evosky #ISHPSSB2025
July 22, 2025 at 4:33 PM
This week @universitypress.cambridge.org has granted free access to all titles in the collection of Cambridge Elements in the Philosophy of Biology, edited by Grant Ramsey. There are many options to choose from! Happy reading! 📕👇 www.cambridge.org/core/publica... #philsci #HPbio #evosky #ISHPSSB2025
Reposted by Mike Anderson
“The behaviour of my measuring system I made malfunction” isn’t actually good evidence but fundamentally it’s the only argument indirect perception really has (see: illusions, studying perceptual cues in isolation, etc)
June 25, 2025 at 3:56 PM
“The behaviour of my measuring system I made malfunction” isn’t actually good evidence but fundamentally it’s the only argument indirect perception really has (see: illusions, studying perceptual cues in isolation, etc)
We punch way above our weight. On many metrics.
#WesternU is tied for 3rd in Canada and 14th overall in the 2025 @timeshighered.bsky.social Impact Rankings, which measure progress on the UN #SDGs. From peace to economic growth to global health, Western's work on #sustainability is standing out. #THEGlobalImpact
Western 3rd in Times Higher Education Impact Rankings - Western News
Western tied for third nationally and tied for 14th overall in the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings 2025, which assesses sustainability work.
buff.ly
June 18, 2025 at 6:10 PM
We punch way above our weight. On many metrics.
This proposed bill allocates $500M for replacing gov. IT systems with commercial AI (a bad idea given known problems with AI) but then preemptively bans all state AI regulation and enforcement for 10 years, making a bad idea much, much worse. d1dth6e84htgma.cloudfront.net/Subtitle_C_C...
d1dth6e84htgma.cloudfront.net
May 13, 2025 at 4:56 PM
This proposed bill allocates $500M for replacing gov. IT systems with commercial AI (a bad idea given known problems with AI) but then preemptively bans all state AI regulation and enforcement for 10 years, making a bad idea much, much worse. d1dth6e84htgma.cloudfront.net/Subtitle_C_C...
Reposted by Mike Anderson
Physical affordances beat digital simulations every time
Amazingly, reaction times using screens while driving are worse than being drunk or high—no wonder 90 percent of drivers hate using touchscreens in cars.
Finally the auto industry is coming to its senses. Real buttons are sooooooo back baby!
Finally the auto industry is coming to its senses. Real buttons are sooooooo back baby!
Rejoice! Carmakers Are Embracing Physical Buttons Again
Amazingly, reaction times using screens while driving are worse than being drunk or high—no wonder 90 percent of drivers hate using touchscreens in cars. Finally the auto industry is coming to its sen...
www.wired.com
May 5, 2025 at 1:55 PM
Physical affordances beat digital simulations every time
Reposted by Mike Anderson
Yet another reason why open science initiatives are better options for universities. Right @richardgold.bsky.social ?
Universities spend millions chasing profits from patents—but most are losing money doing it. A new study shows tech transfer is often a bad investment, costing more in faculty time and overhead than it brings in
US universities lose millions of dollars chasing patents, research shows
The problem is that costs – especially the costs to faculty – often go ignored.
buff.ly
May 3, 2025 at 2:07 PM
Yet another reason why open science initiatives are better options for universities. Right @richardgold.bsky.social ?
Reposted by Mike Anderson
The 1st Society for Philosophy & Neuroscience @socphilneuro.bsky.social meeting was outstanding! I'm so sorry I have to miss the last day. Thanks to the organizers for putting together such an amazing lineup - great to see so many folks working at the intersection.
ANNUAL MEETING | SPAN
www.philandneuro.com
May 3, 2025 at 1:06 PM
The 1st Society for Philosophy & Neuroscience @socphilneuro.bsky.social meeting was outstanding! I'm so sorry I have to miss the last day. Thanks to the organizers for putting together such an amazing lineup - great to see so many folks working at the intersection.
The time is fast approaching for the GOP to decide if it’s for or against dismantling significant government programs. It’ll take guts either way, so it’ll be interesting to see the creative ways they devise to kick the can down the road.
May 2, 2025 at 7:51 PM
The time is fast approaching for the GOP to decide if it’s for or against dismantling significant government programs. It’ll take guts either way, so it’ll be interesting to see the creative ways they devise to kick the can down the road.
Reposted by Mike Anderson
Affordances Constrain Motor Abundance: A Hypothesis and A Research Programme osf.io/preprints/ps...
This is a new preprint by me, where I have written down my affordance based approach to UCM and similar methods for the first time in one place. Feedback very much appreciated!
This is a new preprint by me, where I have written down my affordance based approach to UCM and similar methods for the first time in one place. Feedback very much appreciated!
May 2, 2025 at 11:35 AM
Affordances Constrain Motor Abundance: A Hypothesis and A Research Programme osf.io/preprints/ps...
This is a new preprint by me, where I have written down my affordance based approach to UCM and similar methods for the first time in one place. Feedback very much appreciated!
This is a new preprint by me, where I have written down my affordance based approach to UCM and similar methods for the first time in one place. Feedback very much appreciated!
Reposted by Mike Anderson
In an alternative universe, cog. scientists *read* eco. psych. and find out that...
1. The foundational texts of eco. psych. (Gibson 1966, 1979) don't talk about representations.
2. Affordances aren't what they think they are.
3. The core is ecological information.
4. 50 years+ of experimental work.
1. The foundational texts of eco. psych. (Gibson 1966, 1979) don't talk about representations.
2. Affordances aren't what they think they are.
3. The core is ecological information.
4. 50 years+ of experimental work.
April 27, 2025 at 11:25 PM
In an alternative universe, cog. scientists *read* eco. psych. and find out that...
1. The foundational texts of eco. psych. (Gibson 1966, 1979) don't talk about representations.
2. Affordances aren't what they think they are.
3. The core is ecological information.
4. 50 years+ of experimental work.
1. The foundational texts of eco. psych. (Gibson 1966, 1979) don't talk about representations.
2. Affordances aren't what they think they are.
3. The core is ecological information.
4. 50 years+ of experimental work.
Reposted by Mike Anderson
1. LLM-generated code tries to run code from online software packages. Which is normal but
2. The packages don’t exist. Which would normally cause an error but
3. Nefarious people have made malware under the package names that LLMs make up most often. So
4. Now the LLM code points to malware.
2. The packages don’t exist. Which would normally cause an error but
3. Nefarious people have made malware under the package names that LLMs make up most often. So
4. Now the LLM code points to malware.
LLMs hallucinating nonexistent software packages with plausible names leads to a new malware vulnerability: "slopsquatting."
LLMs can't stop making up software dependencies and sabotaging everything
: Hallucinated package names fuel 'slopsquatting'
www.theregister.com
April 12, 2025 at 11:43 PM
1. LLM-generated code tries to run code from online software packages. Which is normal but
2. The packages don’t exist. Which would normally cause an error but
3. Nefarious people have made malware under the package names that LLMs make up most often. So
4. Now the LLM code points to malware.
2. The packages don’t exist. Which would normally cause an error but
3. Nefarious people have made malware under the package names that LLMs make up most often. So
4. Now the LLM code points to malware.
I spent some time in Silicon Valley 10 years ago, and the obsession with IQ and SAT struck me as sad. Like people who cling to MENSA membership to substitute for actual accomplishments. But now they’ve added genes and the POTUS into the mix, and it’s suddenly dangerous again.
April 26, 2025 at 2:52 AM
I spent some time in Silicon Valley 10 years ago, and the obsession with IQ and SAT struck me as sad. Like people who cling to MENSA membership to substitute for actual accomplishments. But now they’ve added genes and the POTUS into the mix, and it’s suddenly dangerous again.
One possible good to come out of this clown show is an honest assessment of what actually creates prosperity. (Hint: it’s targeted investment, honest equal-footing negotiation between otherwise conflicting constituencies, and reliable partnerships.)
April 10, 2025 at 2:49 AM
One possible good to come out of this clown show is an honest assessment of what actually creates prosperity. (Hint: it’s targeted investment, honest equal-footing negotiation between otherwise conflicting constituencies, and reliable partnerships.)
It’s pretty clear “Alma Mater” means nothing if thousands of powerful alumni will stand silently as their mother is mugged.
April 5, 2025 at 3:20 AM
It’s pretty clear “Alma Mater” means nothing if thousands of powerful alumni will stand silently as their mother is mugged.
I do love college football. But this is a “laugh-but-it-hurts” sorta situation
"Now, we’ll finally be able to maximize profit through ad revenue, ticket sales, and selling overpriced beer to drunk fans. Just like the NFL, but with fewer Taylor Swift sightings."
Despite Massive Cuts to Higher Ed, We Faculty Are Thrilled about Our New Multi-Million-Dollar Football Coach
Dear Board of Trustees, As professors at this large state university, we want to thank you for your recent investment in athletics. We admit, when ...
www.mcsweeneys.net
March 29, 2025 at 2:07 PM
I do love college football. But this is a “laugh-but-it-hurts” sorta situation
I had been buying the general line that even rich universities weren’t sustainable if federal research dollars were significantly slashed. In light of more careful analysis, I’m revising that: the richest universities have the financial resources both to weather the storm and to legally fight back.
March 27, 2025 at 12:06 PM
I had been buying the general line that even rich universities weren’t sustainable if federal research dollars were significantly slashed. In light of more careful analysis, I’m revising that: the richest universities have the financial resources both to weather the storm and to legally fight back.
The symptoms identified here is spot on. The right cure is up for crucial, field-changing debate.
www.thetransmitter.org/neuroai/acce...
www.thetransmitter.org/neuroai/acce...
Accepting “bitter lesson” and embracing brain’s complexity
To gain insight into complex neural data, we must move toward a data-driven regime, employing large models trained on vast amounts of data. Experts weigh in.
www.thetransmitter.org
March 26, 2025 at 4:54 PM
The symptoms identified here is spot on. The right cure is up for crucial, field-changing debate.
www.thetransmitter.org/neuroai/acce...
www.thetransmitter.org/neuroai/acce...
Reposted by Mike Anderson
Even if you think Paul Weiss and Columbia made the only choice available to them in the circumstances (and that's not what I think, to be clear), you have to recognize that there's no future for our democracy if every powerful institution approaches official extortion in this way.
March 23, 2025 at 10:34 PM
Even if you think Paul Weiss and Columbia made the only choice available to them in the circumstances (and that's not what I think, to be clear), you have to recognize that there's no future for our democracy if every powerful institution approaches official extortion in this way.
Question. Why should or shouldn’t major research universities in the US incorporate their research institutes and sell them to major pharmaceutical (or other tech) companies, making a massive profit, and allowing the University to focus on its core mission, which is education and pure research.
March 24, 2025 at 3:06 AM
Question. Why should or shouldn’t major research universities in the US incorporate their research institutes and sell them to major pharmaceutical (or other tech) companies, making a massive profit, and allowing the University to focus on its core mission, which is education and pure research.
“US President Donald Trump's administration has said it will revoke the temporary legal status of more than half a million migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela.” (BBC and Reuters). If you wanted a good way to lose Florida in the next election, that’d be it.
March 22, 2025 at 12:39 AM
“US President Donald Trump's administration has said it will revoke the temporary legal status of more than half a million migrants from Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Venezuela.” (BBC and Reuters). If you wanted a good way to lose Florida in the next election, that’d be it.