According to recent arguments for panpsychism, all (or most) physical properties are dispositional, dispositions require categorical grounds, and the only categorical properties we know are phenomenal properties. Therefore, phenomenal properties can be posited as the categorical grounds of all (or most) physical properties—in order to solve the mind–body problem and/or in order avoid noumenalism about the grounds of the physical world. One challenge to this case comes from dispositionalism, which agrees that all physical properties are dispositional, but denies that dispositions require categorical grounds. In this paper, I propose that this challenge can be met by the claim that the only (fundamentally) dispositional properties we know are phenomenal properties, in particular, phenomenal properties associated with agency, intention and/or motivation.
What if you could fax someone a real, three-dimensional object? The solution might come in the form of programmable matter — a material that takes on predetermined shapes and can change its configuration on demand. We’re already seeing early prototypes coming from Carnegie Mellon and Intel in the form of “claytronics.” So what’s in store for this technology, and why should we be excited about it?
If you had a vat of claytronic atoms in front of you, what’s the first thing you’d build with it? Let us know in the comments below!
MIT scientists are building ElectroVoxels, small, smart, self-assembling robots designed for space.
It’s programmable matter, infinitely recyclable large-scale 3D printing, if you will, and it could be the future of robotics and machinery in space. In this TechFirst, I chat with MIT PhD student Martin Nisser.
An experiment demonstrates that a chip-scale coupled laser system consisting of a pair of coupled semiconductor ring lasers can exhibit complex optical states impossible to achieve in a single waveguide laser.
In order to build a future able to stretch across millions of years, we may need to be able to build machines able to endure the brutal erosion of deep time.
The Kardashev Scale measures how powerful a high-tech civilization is, with K-1 indicating a advanced society able to call on all the power of their planet, which we often envision as a Post-Scarcity Utopia. Is this the future of Humanity? And if so, how can we achieve it?
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In the future technology may help us enjoy prosperity beyond our dreams, with robots manufacturing our goods and attending all our needs but one… our need for purpose.
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