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BRAINLAND: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Ken Barrett
Brainland the podcast navigates the boundary between neuroscience, the arts and humanities with the occasional wander off piste. It began as a neuro-historical exploration of the background to the Brainland the opera but quickly spread its wings. A Brainland Collective production. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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- 3 days ago35 min
THE ENTREPRENEUR: 'Pattern seeking' in Manchester...
In this episode property management entrepreneur Will Lewis talks about his early training in surveying/property management and how this led to the creation of a multidisciplinary consultancy when he was 27. He outlines the originality of his business idea and the experience of growing it in Manchester over the last 20 years where number living in the city centre has risen from around a thousand to nearer 100 thousand. We discuss how that development in part grew out of the city's response to the IRA bombing 30 years ago. Will talks about the nature of his job and the importance of people skill both with clients and leading a team, but also continuing to learn from his mistakes and the shift in attitudes to work post-Covid. Where and when ideas arise gets an airing, and Will recognises Baron Cohen's 'systemising' trait in himself. He shares what keeps him to the grindstone and why he wants to limit the size of their enterprise. We discuss the difficulty in switching off and how family and being an avid Stoke City fan helps with stress management. Along the way we talk Manchester football money, Andy Burnham and the value of apprenticeship. Great conversation. Next time - the folk musician.Participants:Will Lewis is CEO of OBI property consultancy https://obiproperty.co.uk/Ken Barrett is an artist, writer and former neuropsychiatrist http://www.kenbarrettstudio.co.uk/The Simon Baron Cohen episode we mention: https://shows.acast.com/brainland/episodes/pattern-seeking-autism-evolution-and-usMusical extract: Prelude from Act 1 of Brainland, composed by Stephen Brown.Brainland the opera website: www.brainlandtheopera.co.ukInstagram: brainlandcollective Bluesky: brainland.bsky.socialSketch by KB Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
- 3 weeks ago52 min
THE PROTO-PSYCHOLOGY OF MICHEL DE MONTAIGNE
In this essay, sorry, podcast, Neil Kenny, specialist in French literature and society in the 16th and 17th centuries opens us the period in which Montaigne composed his 'essais', first published in 1580, before talking about the man himself, including his education (he only spoke Latin for the first six years of his life - an educational experiment of his dad). Neil had suggested a number of chapters that might coincide with the notion of proto-psychology and Ken was especially excited by 'On practising' which includes a detailed account of a head injury and it's aftermath experienced shortly before his withdrawal from the world. After opening up that one to talk about his chapter 'On imagination' with surprising insights into mind-body interactions. After a number of examples we talk about cannibals, the instability of conclusions (I may not be the same person tomorrow) and the cognitive means by which the mind's workings may best be traced. To conclude this episode Neil reads a favourite passage from his chapter 'On repentance'. Great conversation about an extraordinary writer.Participants:Neil Kenny is professor of French at the University of Oxford and a research fellow of All Souls College https://www.asc.ox.ac.uk/people/professor-neil-kennyKen Barrett is an artist, writer and former neuropsychiatrist http://www.kenbarrettstudio.co.uk/More on Michel de Montaigne: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michel_de_MontaigneHis Essays: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Essays_(Montaigne)'How to read Montaigne ' by Terence Cave is a great introduction: https://granta.com/products/how-to-read-montaigne/: Musical extract: Prelude from Act 1 of Brainland, composed by Stephen Brown.Brainland the opera website: www.brainlandtheopera.co.ukInstagram: #brainlandpodcast #brainlandcollectiveSketch by KB Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
- Oct 6, 202644 min
WIREHEADS: An unatural history of technology and the brain.
In this episode cultural historian Mike Jay shares some of the stories in his new book 'Wireheads'. Our conversation ranges from an eighteenth century Bedlam patient to Elon Musk's 'Neuralink' along the way taking in Havana syndrome and direct energy weapons, the shifting notion of delusion, hoped for effects of electricity on child intelligence, and a variety of doctors who, over the years, have thought it a good idea to put wires into the brain, often with infamous results. We discuss how societal currents, such as increasing violence in the US in the late 60s and early '70s, drove research and theorising at that point, especially the work of Mark and Ervin on violence. Along the way we hear about neurodildos and God helmets. In short, ideal subjects for 'Brainland' - really interesting chat and an engaging book.Participants:Mike Jay is a writer and cultural historian. https://mikejay.net/Ken Barrett is an artist, writer and former neuropsychiatrist http://www.kenbarrettstudio.co.uk/Mike's book 'Wireheads': https://mikejay.net/books/wireheads/The earlier related 'Brainland' episodesWilliam Grey Walter: https://shows.acast.com/brainland/episodes/grey-walterNeuromancer: https://shows.acast.com/brainland/episodes/neuromancerBrain implants: https://shows.acast.com/brainland/episodes/brave-new-worlds-introducing-the-neural-interfaceBrainhacking: https://shows.acast.com/brainland/episodes/brainhackingMusical extract: Prelude from Act 1 of Brainland, composed by Stephen Brown.Brainland the opera website: www.brainlandtheopera.co.ukInstagram: #brainlandpodcast #brainlandcollectiveSketch by KB Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
- Sep 16, 202652 min
PATTERN SEEKING: Autism, evolution and us.
In his book 'The Pattern Seekers' Sir Simon proposes that what has made us successful as a species is our ability to see patterns, 'systemise' and create 'if, then, and' sequences that have enabled us to invent and experiment also and how this ability relates to autism. Our conversation travels from a 40 thousand year old tuned bone flute to creating 'neuro-affirmative' environments in schools and work. Along the way we discuss why Eindhoven has double the rates of childhood autism than other equivalent Dutch cities, what was gleaned from 20 thousand Danish samples of amniotic fluid, why autistic people are the opposite of sociopaths, why some parents of autistic kids dislike the term 'neurodiversity' and much more. A great conversation and the last of a quartet on the autism themes this season (see the links below).ParticipantsSir Simon Baron Cohen is professor of developmental psychopathology, and the director of the Autism Research Centre, University of Cambridge https://www.autismresearchcentre.com/people/simon-baron-cohen/Ken Barrett is an artist, writer and former neuropsychiatrist http://www.kenbarrettstudio.co.uk/Simon's book 'The Pattern Seekers': https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/289738/the-pattern-seekers-by-baron-cohen-simon/9780141982397The other autism themed conversations this season:Dame Uta Frith: https://shows.acast.com/brainland/episodes/hans-asperger-and-the-autistic-spectrum-reflecting-on-past-pAlice Jolly (whose terrific novel 'The Matchbox Girl' has since won the Walter Scott prize for historical fiction): https://shows.acast.com/brainland/episodes/recreating-hans-aspergers-world-the-matchbox-irlRajesh Kana on the autistic brain: https://shows.acast.com/brainland/episodes/exploring-the-autistic-brainMusical extract: Prelude from Act 1 of Brainland, composed by Stephen Brown.Brainland the opera website: www.brainlandtheopera.co.ukInstagram: #brainlandcollectiveSketch by KB Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
- Sep 3, 202653 min
NEUROMANCER: Cyberpunk at 40.
It is 42 years since the publication of William Gibson's game changing science fiction novel 'Neuromancer' and in 2027 Apple TV's much heralded 10 part adaptation of the novel is being released. In this episode academic Curtis Runstedler references the novel's antecedents, including Burgess's 'A Clockwork Orange' and Ballard's 'The Atrocity Exhibition', but especially Ridley Scott's 1982 film 'Blade Runner' and authors it deliberately sought distance from, especially Asimov and Heinlein. After outlining the plot and main characters we discuss the hyper-capitalist world in which it is set, the major role of AI characters 'Wintermute' and 'Neuromancer' and the strong female character Molly in the novel. Feminist, transhumanist and other philosophical takes on the novel get a run-out in our discussion of visionary aspects of Gibson's writing and the wider punk and cyberpunk ethos, and parallels to the world of contemporary billionaires and their pre-occupations. We conclude with a discussion of more recent fiction the genre has bred, including the 'solar punk' stories of Becky Chambers and 'Murderbot' series. Terrific conversation about a culturally important novel.Participants:Curtis Runstedler is a post-doctoral fellow in the Department of English Literatures and Cultures at University of Stuttgart, Germany. https://curtisrunstedler.ca/ Ken Barrett is an artist, writer and former neuropsychiatrist http://www.kenbarrettstudio.co.uk/Curtis's 'Seat Stuck movie' podcast: https://open.spotify.com/show/1y0MURjC3Y2ETVuQiJ7uD4The novel 'Neuromancer': https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NeuromancerApple TV's teaser and trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvNCSw_gXXI. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-x0cY5LiBZAJohnny Mnemonic: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Mnemonic_(film)Robert Longo's black and white version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0O0F3vISjqsJG Ballard's novel 'The Atrocity Exhibition ': https://www.jgballard.ca/criticism/atrocity_exhibition_perry-wilkie.htmlBecky Chambers 'solar-punk' novel 'Psalm for the Wild-Built': https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Psalm_for_the_Wild-BuiltMusical extract: Prelude from Act 1 of Brainland, composed by Stephen Brown.Brainland the opera website: www.brainlandtheopera.co.ukInstagram: #brainlandcollectiveSketch by KB Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
- Aug 28, 20261h 31m
THE RATIO CLUB: UK cybernetics powerhouse.
In this special 100th episode of Brainland sometime co-host Andy Platman and Ken talk with Phil Husbands about the 'Ratio Club', a dining club of medics, mathematicians, engineers and physiologists that met regularly between 1949 and 1955 to talk cybernetics. Phil's definitive history of the group is in its final edit. The most well known member was, at the time, Grey Walter, who we talked about in an earlier episode (https://shows.acast.com/brainland/episodes/grey-walter). After introducing 'Ratio' and its members (and why that name), Phil talks about the different disciplines of members (medic/psychiatrists, physiologists, mathematician/statisticians, engineers and other scientists), their 'no professors' rule and we discuss several in some detail (Shipton, Gold, Ashby, Turing, Good, McKay and Barlow) playing brief extracts from Phil's interviews with two (Shipton and Barlow). We also talk about psychologist Kenneth Craik whose conversations with Walter and Bates influenced their decision to meet with like-minded individuals in '49, some of the topics the club discussed and why meeting ceased in 1955. Along the way there are some great stories about these diverse characters. In an 'after-hours' section Phil asks Ken and Andy about Ratio, their musical take on the Ratio club story, currently a set of songs, broadly in folk genres, created with musical collaborators (Josh Platman, Ben Moss and Tina Cox) and the plan to build a radio play around them. Extracts from some songs are included during the main conversation with full versions in the after hours section. In short, a classic 'Brainland' melange. For the full list of club members, and to read more about the club, see Phil and Owen Holland's original paper: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/265258561_The_Ratio_Club_A_Hub_of_British_Cybernetics/link/5406f00c0cf2c48563b28164/download?_tp=eyJjb250ZXh0Ijp7ImZpcnN0UGFnZSI6InB1YmxpY2F0aW9uIiwicGFnZSI6InB1YmxpY2F0aW9uIn19Participants:Phil Husbands, Emeritus Professor of Artificial Intelligence at the University of Sussex ( https://profiles.sussex.ac.uk/p1334-phil-husbands/about)Andy Platman, writer, dramatist and former GP.Ken Barrett, artist, writer, podcaster and former neuropsychiatrist. http://www.kenbarrettstudio.co.uk/Voice extracts with the permission of Phil Husbands.Music: Opening theme composed and played by Ben Moss (https://www.benmossfolk.co.uk/), the intro to his song 'Turing', music, vocals and instrumentals by Ben, lyrics by Ken.Other songs extracts :'Gold' and 'Good' music, vocals and instrumentals by Josh Platman (https://www.joshplatman.com/about), lyric by Andy.'Shippy', sung by Tina Cox, lyric by Ken, traditional Shropshire folk tune.'Ashby', music composed and played by by Josh Platman, words and vocals by Andy.'Bates', improvised drumming by Bob Barrett, voice and words and sound design by Ken.Riso print by KB, based on sketched portraits of nine members of the Ratio Club. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
- Aug 13, 20261h 18m
WHAT HAS GREEK TRAGEDY EVER DONE FOR US?
Did anyone write about human psychology long before there was such a term? Yes and this season we are going to discuss five of them, beginning with three Greek tragedians. 32 of their plays have survived, written almost two and a half thousand years ago and a small sample of a thousand or so performed in the 'golden age' of Greek democracy. After talking though their historical and social context, and a brief diversion into Christopher Nolan's 'Odyssey', Simon dismantles Nietzsche's influential take on Greek tragedy, favouring a more nuanced and strange take, referencing especially Euripides, whose plays mostly feature strong women (despite the fact that they were performed by men most likely to men in their thousands, part of spring festivals that featured masked performers and music). We talk Plato, who banned them from his ideal Republic, and Aristotle who reckoned he knew exactly what they were good for, but whose notion of 'catharsis' has been widely misunderstood and repurposed. After comparing Andy Burnham to Phillip of Macedonia, the sophists get a significant look in, including their influence on drama and the way they play with deception and truth. French actress Isabel Huppert makes an entrance, then Euripides translator Anne Carson and there's much more. In short, another terrific wide ranging conversation and to close, Simon reads from the opening and closing paragraphs of his book. In short, a must listen.Participants:Simon Critchley is Hans Jonas Professor of Philosophy at the New School for Social Research in New York City .https://simon-critchley.com/Ken Barrett is an artist, writer and former neuropsychiatrist http://www.kenbarrettstudio.co.uk/Simon's book 'Tragedy, the Greeks and us: https://www.amazon.com/Tragedy-Greeks-Us-Simon-Critchley/dp/0525564640/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2IV6ZVSSA9WC9&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.QaqozU95ZRxDtLG5dEGBB7HA8fU4H4-FmnYggilEEO3pq2jgE-wqPXKVZXgnGQNGti9BL6V4mxOAmdjHSu1N0OM-RhtMqV5BNvVWkCyzrvtvVb_eMFwQgTGv5mQrgzEgQUaQXWLQ2V6vpgGwY7r0qUdqSMuGCwpK78bb-8xmSDARl3MunkeRR4Tl-VGdG4jgVkxJ3Vqmt55I9vsq_6UcbQ4FN4d03GlH4Il7NBIJMD8.d6ocuMesHoi8TIRhVyJY1ovRrvlCL9hNtbnz6Kb-6TQ&dib_tag=se&keywords=tragedy%2C+the+greeks+and+us&qid=1721389262&sprefix=tragedy%2C+the+greeks+and+us%2Caps%2C156&sr=8-1Musical extract: Prelude from Act 1 of Brainland, composed by Stephen Brown.Brainland the opera website: www.brainlandtheopera.co.ukInstagram: #brainlandcollectiveSketch by KB Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
- Aug 6, 202633 min
HUMANISH: The many faces of anthropomorphism
In this conversation, animal behaviourist Justin Gregg talk through the many facets of our species' tendency to attribute human qualities to animals and things, as well as the opposite, to deny human qualities to classes of fellow humans. Our conversation ranges over enthusiasm for dolphin midwives, cuddly sharks and alligators and the difference between dogs and wolves. We talk about the possible effects of giving storms female names, 'companion cubes', using animals in marketing and why cartoon animal violence feels OK. Our desire to put intentions and humanish causation on the universe may explain aspects of religion a tendency even more obvious in animistic religions (Japan is the most anthropomorphising country). We also talk about the effect of not anthropomorphising, dehumanising, other humans, facilitating war and genocide. After a brief chat about Covid ghosts and a trip down the 'uncanny valley', Justin concludes by reading the closing paragraphs of his book. A terrific conversation based on a very readable and illuminating book.Participants:Justin Gregg is professor of biology at St. Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia, Canada. https://www.justingregg.com/Ken Barrett is an artist, writer and former neuropsychiatrist http://www.kenbarrettstudio.co.uk/Justin's books: https://www.justingregg.com/booksMusical extract: Prelude from Act 1 of Brainland, composed by Stephen Brown.Brainland the opera website: www.brainlandtheopera.co.ukInstagram: #brainlandcollectiveSketch by KB Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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About BRAINLAND
Brainland the podcast navigates the boundary between neuroscience, the arts and humanities with the occasional wander off piste. It began as a neuro-historical exploration of the background to the Brainland the opera but quickly spread its wings. A Brainland Collective production. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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