Ed Boyden builds the tools and technologies that help researchers think about and treat the brain, an organ we still know surprisingly little about. When it comes to how our brains make decisions, form emotions, and exhibit consciousness, there is still a lot we can learn.
But just as fascinating as the tools Boyden and his team build is the way in which they build them. Boyden employs a number of methods to design more useful tools, such as thinking backwards from the problem, hiring eclectic talent, practicing a particular type of meditation, waking long before dawn, or just trying the opposite of what’s already been attempted.
Would emulating the brain require emulating the entire body? Is consciousness fundamental to the universe, or is it actually just an illusion? Does a certain disharmony in thought lead to creativity? Why don’t people don’t feel comfortable talking about their brains? And why is it so hard for us to be empathetic with one another? Listen to this engaging and brain-stimulating conversation with Tyler to hear his perspective.
Follow Ed on Twitter
Follow Tyler on Twitter
More CWT goodness:
Shruti Rajagopalan talks to Daniel Gross and Tyler about Identifying and Predicting Talent
Cynthia L. Haven on René Girard, Czeslaw Milosz, and Joseph Brodsky
William MacAskill on Effective Altruism, Moral Progress, and Cultural Innovation
Leopoldo López on Activism Under Autocratic Regimes
Matthew Ball on the Metaverse and Gaming
Barkha Dutt on the Nuances of Indian Life
Marc Andreessen on Learning to Love the Humanities
Jamal Greene on Reconceiving Rights
Tyler and Daniel Gross Talk Talent
Chris Blattman on War and Centralized Power
Thomas Piketty on the Politics of Equality
Roy Foster on Ireland’s Many Unmade Futures
Lydia Davis on Language and Literature
Sam Bankman-Fried on Arbitrage and Altruism
Chuck Klosterman on Writing the Past and Relishing the Present
Sebastian Mallaby on Venture Capital
Stewart Brand on Starting Things and Staying Curious
Russ Roberts on Israel and Life as an Immigrant
Ana Vidović on Prodigies, Performance, and Perseverance
Conversations with Tyler 2021 Retrospective
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
In the Great Khan’s Tent
Visualize Meditations
The No-Frills Teacher Podcast
The Jordan B. Peterson Podcast
The Mel Robbins Podcast