Academic Dissonance and Unexpected Paths

Love & Philosophy Beyond Dichotomy

Unexpected Paths in Academia: beyond the traditional divisions of neuroscience

1×

0:00

Current time: 0:00 / Total time: -1:27:31

-1:27:31

Unexpected Paths in Academia: beyond the traditional divisions of neuroscience

Paul left academia and travelled with his family in an RV to find his path in neuroscience. Now many of us think of him as one of our favorite teachers.

Andrea Hiott

Dec 15, 2024

Transcript

Was it worth it to give up academia, move into an RV and create a podcast?

Listen on your podcast platform

RV parked beside the edge of island during sunset — Photo by Stijn te Strake on Unsplash

Paul Middlebrooks is no gadfly but as you'll hear, the one thing he knows is that he does not know (as Plato quotes Socrates: "All I know is that I know nothing.") He quit academia and started a podcast and has since become an important voice to many of us through his questioning.

#loveandphilosophy #neuroai #podcasting #neuroscience #brain #inspired

Here is Brain Inspired: https://braininspired.co/podcast/

Brain inspired just had its 200th episode ! This is a celebration of this amazing pursuit.

Paul is a neuroscientist and podcaster. He spent over 10 years as a neuroscientist studying visual decision-making in nonhuman primates. A few years as a technician, 4 years obtaining a PhD, and 6 years as a postdoctoral researcher. Then he left academia and he and his wife sold all their stuff, moved into an RV, and roamed around the country, ending up in Durango for a time. During that time, he also started Brain Inspired. Now Paul is a Special Faculty Research Associate in the Yttri Lab at Carnegie Mellon University, studying the wonders of neuroethology: https://labs.bio.cmu.edu/yttri/

Ginger Campbell, another friend of mine, has a wonderful podcast called Brain Science that explains neuroscience in ways everyone can understand. I highly recommend it. It inspired Paul, and he took it a step further with a podcast for neuroscientists that digs into challenging issues and papers on another level.

Patricia Churchland Neurophilosophy

Mark H. Bickhard: Mind as Process, Process Metaphysics

Show notes summary:

This week Andrea Hiott and Paul Middlebrooks go deep into what it all means in life and neuroscience. Paul is the host of the podcast Brain Inspired. Paul discusses his journey from academia to podcasting, his evolving views on neuroscience and AI, and the significance of lifelong learning.

The discussion also touches on the personal motivations behind Paul's career choices, the importance of openness in scientific inquiry, and how love and connection influence his work and life choices. This special episode is a tribute to Paul's contributions to neuroscience and education through his unique perspective and podcast.