Cognitive Engineering Aleph Insights

Where is the much vaunted line between genius and madness? At a glance, it seems like they could be two sides of the same coin. Is the opposite of genius simply sheer stupidity? Is there a difference between the two or are they outputs of the same phenomenon? And where might there be some overlap?

In this week’s episode we discuss genius and madness. We discuss mental health conditions, historical figures and concepts that were considered quackery or fraudulent during their time, neurodiversity, Copernican heliocentrism, the germ theory of disease, AlphaGo and correlations between personality traits and levels of intelligence. Finally, we share examples of where we felt we were in the presence of genius.

For more information on Aleph Insights visit our website https://alephinsights.com or to get in touch about our podcast email podcast@alephinsights.com

The pursuit of immortality is a tantalising idea that appears in science and technology as well as works of art and literature. But who actually wants to live forever? What does it mean to ‘cure’ ageing? And what might be some unforeseen consequences of perpetual longevity?

In this week’s episode, we discuss the age-old problem of ageing. We discuss the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents dataset, demographics, education, governance, resource allocation, economics, intergenerational social interactions, family life, monogamy and cultural stagnation vs innovation. Finally, we share our best examples of the elderly.

For more information on Aleph Insights visit our website https://alephinsights.com or to get in touch about our podcast email podcast@alephinsights.com

The observant among us will have noted that 2023 ended on a Sunday. For those who believe Sunday marks the end of the week, this seems like a logical day to end the year. But why do we find these types of phenomena satisfying? Is it slightly obsessive or should we strive for this symmetry in our daily lives? The bigger question might be: is it even possible to produce neatness in our messy world?

In this week’s episode, we discuss neatness. We debate which day is the first day of the week, and discuss the universal three-act structure, epicycles, special relativity, Kolmogorov complexity, prime numbers, crosswords, emergent complexity and the metric system. Finally, we share our best and worst attempts to impose neatness on the world around us.

A few things we mentioned in this podcast:

- Kolmogorov Complexity https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kolmogorov_complexity
- Sabbath https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shabbat
- A Mathematician’s Apology: https://archive.org/details/AMathematiciansApology-G.h.Hardy

For more information on Aleph Insights visit our website https://alephinsights.com or to get in touch about our podcast email podcast@alephinsights.com

You would be forgiven for missing it, but late last year Google Maps changed its colour scheme. This caused an outcry across the Twittersphere and social media platforms, with many outraged the change took place without their endorsement or consent. After observing this spectacle unfold we thought that it prompted some thought-provoking ideas - should we just swallow our discontent with technical features to enjoy free services? Do we complain too much in this day and age? Have we forgotten how difficult life was without recent technological advances?

In this episode, we discuss moaners. We speak about Google Maps, Google Earth, cartography, complaining, the origins of legal liability, journalism and newspapers, the concept of gratitude and a crisis in open-source software. Finally, we share some of our favourite maps.

- Is Gratitude a Moral Affect? https://www.researchgate.net/publication/230896629_Is_Gratitude_a_Moral_Affect#:~:text=Gratitude%20is%20conceptualized%20as%20a,such%20as%20empathy%20and%20guilt
- First World Problems https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_World_problem
- Map of Southern Sommerlund from Lone Wolf https://shop-magnamund.com/cdn/shop/products/Screenshot2022-03-23at19.33.11.jpg?v=1668683483

For more information on Aleph Insights visit our website https://alephinsights.com or to get in touch about our podcast email podcast@alephinsights.com

What do Trump, Johnson, Wilders and Milei all have in common? No, it’s not politics, it’s an eccentric and recognisable coiffure. Do these examples allow us to draw a theory between politics and hair or is it just a happy coincidence? If there is a connection, why might it exist?

In this week’s episode, we discuss populist hairstyles. We talk about the relationship between populism and hairstyles, data on hair and physical condition, the connection between shoes and personalities, signalling, Donald Trump’s hair, and Jordan presents a typology for populism. Finally, we share the people from history we most admire who have a distinctive hairstyle.

A few things we mentioned in this podcast:

- The Guardian: ‘Populism is all about hair’ https://www.theguardian.com/fashion/2023/dec/03/populism-is-all-about-hair-what-rightwing-leaders-are-trying-to-tell-us-with-their-wild-coiffures
- Hair Analysis in Health Assessment https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0009898113000405
-Cue masking and cultural signals https://research.vu.nl/ws/portalfiles/portal/121656045/Cue_masking_and_cultural_signals_Testing_contextspecific_preferences_for_balding_leaders.pdf
- Politico: ‘Boris Johnson’s hair shows he’s too posh to fail’ https://www.politico.eu/article/how-boris-johnsons-hair-defined-britain/

For more information on Aleph Insights visit our website https://alephinsights.com or to get in touch about our podcast email podcast@alephinsights.com

When we think of good and evil the picture appears obvious. The side of good is attractive, righteous and persuasive while the bad side is ugly, flawed and fallible. But does the way we intuitively expect good and evil to work line up with how it is portrayed in popular fiction and the arts? Are literature and film teaching us that might is right or is something else at play?

In this week’s episode, we discuss baddies with special guest Jamie Lear. We speak about Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, Thomas Midgley, consequentialism and deontological philosophy, Rousseau and Hobbes and Nick presents a taxonomy for good and evil. Finally, we reveal our favourite fictional baddies.

A few things we mentioned in this podcast:

- Hobbes vs Rousseau: are we inherently evil? https://iai.tv/articles/hobbes-vs-rousseau-are-we-inherently-evil-or-good-auid-1221
- TV Tropes: Always Chaotic Evil https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/AlwaysChaoticEvil
- How do Orcs breed? https://www.vintageisthenewold.com/game-pedia/how-do-orcs-breed

For more information on Aleph Insights visit our website https://alephinsights.com or to get in touch about our podcast email podcast@alephinsights.com

Image by jasonwang7 via Deviant Art