2005
the unbelievable
almost
magical qualities
of mind reading
technology
that could be done
without
chips
as
an x-ray for example
does not
need chips
nor an MRI
to scan
you
when most of us think of
brain signals being monitored
we think of
a xmas tree of electrodes
being bound to our skull
and these electrodes
providing
a series of squiggly lines
we find it "far out and crazy " to consider
that some
genius somewhere has not
attempted to
and succeeded at
creating software of some kind
to
convert brain signals into
sentences
nor do we consider that
many companies and organizations developing this type of tech
did not want the public
considering the implications of mind reading
mind transcription
advanced technology
until
every aspect of it's use has been
studied
perfected
and segued into the system
and new legislation considered
based upon new tools that enabled another to
transcribe another's recorded brain signals into language surmised
a society with access to scanning technology
that interprets one's inner ruminations
presumably would benefit
various fields to create a safer society
as
ill intent which often can
"hide 'behind
the mask of verbal and body language
is often
"mastered" by
criminals and sociopaths
well versed in concealed
countenance
If and when brain signal acquisition and transcription apparatus
is
blended into our system of surveillance
many legal and also ethical quandaries
previously based upon --"he said/she said"
in a court of law
would be replaced by "he thought/she thought"
there will be " no shadow of a doubt "with
brain signal deciphering technology
-B.Naden ,ProxyCybernetics
BCI Conference
1214
the unbelievable
almost
magical qualities
of mind reading
technology
that could be done
without
chips
as
an x-ray for example
does not
need chips
nor an MRI
to scan
you
when most of us think of
brain signals being monitored
we think of
a xmas tree of electrodes
being bound to our skull
and these electrodes
providing
a series of squiggly lines
we find it "far out and crazy " to consider
that some
genius somewhere has not
attempted to
and succeeded at
creating software of some kind
to
convert brain signals into
sentences
nor do we consider that
many companies and organizations developing this type of tech
did not want the public
considering the implications of mind reading
mind transcription
advanced technology
until
every aspect of it's use has been
studied
perfected
and segued into the system
and new legislation considered
based upon new tools that enabled another to
transcribe another's recorded brain signals into language surmised
a society with access to scanning technology
that interprets one's inner ruminations
presumably would benefit
various fields to create a safer society
as
ill intent which often can
"hide 'behind
the mask of verbal and body language
is often
"mastered" by
criminals and sociopaths
well versed in concealed
countenance
If and when brain signal acquisition and transcription apparatus
is
blended into our system of surveillance
many legal and also ethical quandaries
previously based upon --"he said/she said"
in a court of law
would be replaced by "he thought/she thought"
there will be " no shadow of a doubt "with
brain signal deciphering technology
-B.Naden ,ProxyCybernetics
BCI Conference
1214
The individuals who participated in the first Inquisition 800 years ago kept detailed records of their activities. Vast archival collections at the Vatican, in France and in Spain contain accounts of torture victims' cries, descriptions of funeral pyres and even meticulous financial records about the price of torture equipment.
"[There are] expense accounts [for things] like how much did the rope cost to tie the hands of the person you burnt at the stake," says writer Cullen Murphy. "The people who were doing interrogations were meticulous."
Murphy's new book God's Jury: The Inquisition and the Making of the Modern World traces the history of the Inquisitions — there were several — and draws parallels between some of the interrogation techniques used in previous centuries with the ones used today.
"A few years ago, the intelligence agencies had some transcripts released ... of interrogations that were done at Guantanamo, and the interrogations done by the Inquisition were surprisingly similar and just as detailed, virtually verbatim."
Eight-hundred years ago, the first Inquisition was initially designed to deal with an upsurge in heretical activity from the Cathars in France. .
"The papacy was trying to centralize itself and assert its authority," says Murphy. "So the pope basically deputizes various clerics. ... They would come to a town, announce that they were there. They would begin to question people. Sometimes they would use harsh methods. ... They would conduct tribunals and they would sentence people to various punishments."
"[There are] expense accounts [for things] like how much did the rope cost to tie the hands of the person you burnt at the stake," says writer Cullen Murphy. "The people who were doing interrogations were meticulous."
Murphy's new book God's Jury: The Inquisition and the Making of the Modern World traces the history of the Inquisitions — there were several — and draws parallels between some of the interrogation techniques used in previous centuries with the ones used today.
"A few years ago, the intelligence agencies had some transcripts released ... of interrogations that were done at Guantanamo, and the interrogations done by the Inquisition were surprisingly similar and just as detailed, virtually verbatim."
Eight-hundred years ago, the first Inquisition was initially designed to deal with an upsurge in heretical activity from the Cathars in France. .
"The papacy was trying to centralize itself and assert its authority," says Murphy. "So the pope basically deputizes various clerics. ... They would come to a town, announce that they were there. They would begin to question people. Sometimes they would use harsh methods. ... They would conduct tribunals and they would sentence people to various punishments."
A key challenge for cognitive neuroscience is determining how mental representations map onto patterns of neural activity. Recently, researchers have started to address this question by applying sophisticated pattern-classification algorithms to distributed (multi-voxel) patterns of functional MRI data, with the goal of decoding the information that is represented in the subject's brain at a particular point in time. This multi-voxel pattern analysis (MVPA) approach has led to several impressive feats of mind reading. More importantly, MVPA methods constitute a useful new tool for advancing our understanding of neural information processing. We review how researchers are using MVPA methods to characterize neural coding and information processing in domains ranging from visual perception to memory search.
WHAT IS A PSYCHOPATH?
While no psychiatric or psychological organization has sanctioned a diagnosis of 'psychopathy' itself, assessments of psychopathy are widely used in criminal justice settings in some nations and may have important consequences for individuals.
Many people confuse autism and sociopatholgy because they know people with both conditions have trouble interacting and empathizing with others, and because they see the terms “antisocial” and “lacking empathy” applied to both groups. However, the social problems of autistic people and those of sociopaths are not just different but almost opposite.
Psychopathy is a personality disorder that has been variously characterized by shallow emotions (including reduced fear, a lack of empathy, and stress tolerance), cold-heartedness, egocentricity, superficial charm, manipulation, irresponsibility, impulsivity, criminality, antisocial behavior, a lack of remorse, and a parasitic lifestyle.
While no psychiatric or psychological organization has sanctioned a diagnosis of 'psychopathy' itself, assessments of psychopathy are widely used in criminal justice settings in some nations and may have important consequences for individuals.
Many people confuse autism and sociopatholgy because they know people with both conditions have trouble interacting and empathizing with others, and because they see the terms “antisocial” and “lacking empathy” applied to both groups. However, the social problems of autistic people and those of sociopaths are not just different but almost opposite.
WHAT IS AN AUTISTIC?
People may see a person’s autistic behavior and mistake that person for a sociopath, falsely believing that someone who may be extremely moral and principled is actually dangerous and lacking a sound conscience.
While many laypeople use the term “antisocial” to apply to people who are introverted and uncomfortable interacting with large numbers of people, mental health professionals use it very differently. When a psychologist or psychiatrist diagnoses someone with antisocial personality disorder, they mean that the person exhibits “a pervasive pattern of disregard for and violation of the rights of others” (DSM-IV), which typically involves criminal acts, chronic lying, physically assaulting others, disregard for others’ safety and needs, and lack of remorse for one’s actions. Sadly, laypeople may read professional descriptions of antisocial personality disorder and conclude that the people they think of as “antisocial”—who may be autistic or just ordinary introverts—are capable of the terrible deeds associated with antisocial personality disorder.
Descriptions of both autistic and sociopathic people as “lacking empathy” also contribute to popular confusion between autism and sociopathology. Most discussion about empathy among laypeople, and some even among mental health professionals, fails to distinguish between emotional empathy and cognitive empathy. Emotional empathy, which is what most people mean by “empathy”, involves an emotional, sympathetic response to another’s feelings in which one feels some of the emotion the other person feels.
Autism spectrum disorders involve impaired cognitive empathy and, in most cases, average to heightened emotional empathy. People with ASDs often do not show the appropriate emotions in response to another person’s feelings
Others, however, usually do not realize why autistic people do not display the usual signs of an emotionally empathic response. They may not realize that the autistic person is far more deeply affected by the situation than he or she appears to be, or would be deeply affected if he or she understood the other person’s experience. In contrast, sociopatholgy involves impaired emotional empathy and, typically, average to heightened cognitive empathy. As a result, sociopaths understand what others are thinking, can readily manipulate them, and are often superficially charming, whereas the reverse is usually true of people on the autism spectrum.
People may see a person’s autistic behavior and mistake that person for a sociopath, falsely believing that someone who may be extremely moral and principled is actually dangerous and lacking a sound conscience.
While many laypeople use the term “antisocial” to apply to people who are introverted and uncomfortable interacting with large numbers of people, mental health professionals use it very differently. When a psychologist or psychiatrist diagnoses someone with antisocial personality disorder, they mean that the person exhibits “a pervasive pattern of disregard for and violation of the rights of others” (DSM-IV), which typically involves criminal acts, chronic lying, physically assaulting others, disregard for others’ safety and needs, and lack of remorse for one’s actions. Sadly, laypeople may read professional descriptions of antisocial personality disorder and conclude that the people they think of as “antisocial”—who may be autistic or just ordinary introverts—are capable of the terrible deeds associated with antisocial personality disorder.
Descriptions of both autistic and sociopathic people as “lacking empathy” also contribute to popular confusion between autism and sociopathology. Most discussion about empathy among laypeople, and some even among mental health professionals, fails to distinguish between emotional empathy and cognitive empathy. Emotional empathy, which is what most people mean by “empathy”, involves an emotional, sympathetic response to another’s feelings in which one feels some of the emotion the other person feels.
Autism spectrum disorders involve impaired cognitive empathy and, in most cases, average to heightened emotional empathy. People with ASDs often do not show the appropriate emotions in response to another person’s feelings
Others, however, usually do not realize why autistic people do not display the usual signs of an emotionally empathic response. They may not realize that the autistic person is far more deeply affected by the situation than he or she appears to be, or would be deeply affected if he or she understood the other person’s experience. In contrast, sociopatholgy involves impaired emotional empathy and, typically, average to heightened cognitive empathy. As a result, sociopaths understand what others are thinking, can readily manipulate them, and are often superficially charming, whereas the reverse is usually true of people on the autism spectrum.