Ep. 12: The Neuroscience of Consciousness & Free Will with Daniel Toker

Today we spoke with Neuroscientist Daniel Toker about theories of consciousness and how mathematical models can be used to study the brain. We get philosophical on the scientific basis of consciousness as well as cover the complex concept of free will. Daniel Toker is a neuroscience PhD student at the University of California, Berkeley who did his undergrad in philosophy and neuroscience at Princeton University. He specializes in computational and cognitive neuroscience. Daniel researches information theory and graph theory to investigate what the brain is doing when it's conscious, and what changes when it's not. Connect with Daniel on Instagram and Twitter Visit his website to learn more Further Reading Theoretically sound measure of information integration: http://www.pnas.org/content/113/51/14817. (Daniel has recently extended their method to large brain networks, and is now applying it to real brain data)   Any other questions?  Let us know!  We appreciate your feedback. You can now support the podcast at https://www.patreon.com/sfspodcast.  Many thanks to our past and present supporters!  Thanks to Plant Warrior for their support.  Use discount code SFS10 at checkout for 10% off your purchase of plant-based protein.