I completed a DPhil. from the University of Sussex in 2001 and an MSc. with distinction in Cognitive Science at the University of Birmingham in 1997. In autumn 2019 I joined the Alef Trust as a tutor on their Approaches to Consciousness module.
Academic interests include Consciousness Studies & philosophy of mind, animal behaviour and cognition and the Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence (SETI).
Pluralism and the Mind: Consciousness, Worldviews and the Limits of Science, 2011
Pluralism and the Mind concerns the gap between experiential states and dominant accounts in cogn... more Pluralism and the Mind concerns the gap between experiential states and dominant accounts in cognitive science. ‘Modern neuroscience’ frequently seeks to reduce most features of consciousness to ‘illusions,’ a strategy which seems deeply unsatisfactory. There is also an insistence that theories of consciousness conform to a metaphysic of monistic physicalism and currently known physics and biology.
A tonic to this is something like William James’ philosophical pluralism. Since one’s knowledge of the world is constantly evolving but never complete, it seems inappropriate to reduce the cosmos to one substance, essence or principle. The partiality of any single theory also strongly suggests a need for a variety of theoretical alternatives and traditions.
Allied to this is a rejection of the reductionism that suggests that consciousness can either be ontologically or causally reduced to neural patterns. I suggest instead the exploration of a range of alternatives, starting with property pluralism.
I question the right of those who seek to produce a one-size-fits-all theory of consciousness, emphasising the importance of a wide range of viewpoints on human nature. When different cultures and viewpoints interact, we often learn more than when dominant ideologies are allowed to stifle others. Many viewpoints are better than one.
Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 1999
... R. Soc. Lond. B Matthew Colborn, Azlina Ahmad-Annuar, Karine Fauria and Thomas S. Collett ) B... more ... R. Soc. Lond. B Matthew Colborn, Azlina Ahmad-Annuar, Karine Fauria and Thomas S. Collett ) Bombus terrestris bumble?bees ( ... associations in bumble-bees (Bombus terrestris) Matthew Colborn, Azlina Ahmad-Annuar, Karine Fauria and Thomas S. Collett* ...
My 2007 paper on the decline effect in parapsychology. For an updated summary of the decline effe... more My 2007 paper on the decline effect in parapsychology. For an updated summary of the decline effect problem including the issue of QRPs (Questionable Research Practises), please see my 2018 entry in the SPR psi encyclopedia:
This talk presents an overview of the cognitive science and neuroscience approach to consciousnes... more This talk presents an overview of the cognitive science and neuroscience approach to consciousness. This includes a rejection of “dualism”, an embrace of functionalism and involves the search for Neural Correlates of Consciousness (NCCs). The broad landscape of theories is described with a focus on Global Workspace theory, Integrated information Theory and Anil Seth's hallucination theory. Two key problems with these theories are identified: the problem of “miracles in the brain” and that the invocation of consciousness as “hallucination” undermines the realism on which cognitive science is based. The conclusion is that the mind-body problem persists despite very significant advances in cognitive science, and likely indicates the need for a broader worldview.
This is a future studies article on (1) Rewilding and (2) the contribution of indigenous cultures... more This is a future studies article on (1) Rewilding and (2) the contribution of indigenous cultures to alternative futures. It also includes a utopian scenario for 2118.
Pluralism and the Mind: Consciousness, Worldviews and the Limits of Science, 2011
Pluralism and the Mind concerns the gap between experiential states and dominant accounts in cogn... more Pluralism and the Mind concerns the gap between experiential states and dominant accounts in cognitive science. ‘Modern neuroscience’ frequently seeks to reduce most features of consciousness to ‘illusions,’ a strategy which seems deeply unsatisfactory. There is also an insistence that theories of consciousness conform to a metaphysic of monistic physicalism and currently known physics and biology.
A tonic to this is something like William James’ philosophical pluralism. Since one’s knowledge of the world is constantly evolving but never complete, it seems inappropriate to reduce the cosmos to one substance, essence or principle. The partiality of any single theory also strongly suggests a need for a variety of theoretical alternatives and traditions.
Allied to this is a rejection of the reductionism that suggests that consciousness can either be ontologically or causally reduced to neural patterns. I suggest instead the exploration of a range of alternatives, starting with property pluralism.
I question the right of those who seek to produce a one-size-fits-all theory of consciousness, emphasising the importance of a wide range of viewpoints on human nature. When different cultures and viewpoints interact, we often learn more than when dominant ideologies are allowed to stifle others. Many viewpoints are better than one.
Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 1999
... R. Soc. Lond. B Matthew Colborn, Azlina Ahmad-Annuar, Karine Fauria and Thomas S. Collett ) B... more ... R. Soc. Lond. B Matthew Colborn, Azlina Ahmad-Annuar, Karine Fauria and Thomas S. Collett ) Bombus terrestris bumble?bees ( ... associations in bumble-bees (Bombus terrestris) Matthew Colborn, Azlina Ahmad-Annuar, Karine Fauria and Thomas S. Collett* ...
My 2007 paper on the decline effect in parapsychology. For an updated summary of the decline effe... more My 2007 paper on the decline effect in parapsychology. For an updated summary of the decline effect problem including the issue of QRPs (Questionable Research Practises), please see my 2018 entry in the SPR psi encyclopedia:
This talk presents an overview of the cognitive science and neuroscience approach to consciousnes... more This talk presents an overview of the cognitive science and neuroscience approach to consciousness. This includes a rejection of “dualism”, an embrace of functionalism and involves the search for Neural Correlates of Consciousness (NCCs). The broad landscape of theories is described with a focus on Global Workspace theory, Integrated information Theory and Anil Seth's hallucination theory. Two key problems with these theories are identified: the problem of “miracles in the brain” and that the invocation of consciousness as “hallucination” undermines the realism on which cognitive science is based. The conclusion is that the mind-body problem persists despite very significant advances in cognitive science, and likely indicates the need for a broader worldview.
This is a future studies article on (1) Rewilding and (2) the contribution of indigenous cultures... more This is a future studies article on (1) Rewilding and (2) the contribution of indigenous cultures to alternative futures. It also includes a utopian scenario for 2118.
ALEFTP 7501 Approaches to Consciousness: Introductory Materials, 2021
Introductory essay and glossary for the Alef Trust 7501 Approaches to Consciousness course. Updat... more Introductory essay and glossary for the Alef Trust 7501 Approaches to Consciousness course. Updated for August 2024.
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Books by Matt Colborn
A tonic to this is something like William James’ philosophical pluralism. Since one’s knowledge of the world is constantly evolving but never complete, it seems inappropriate to reduce the cosmos to one substance, essence or principle. The partiality of any single theory also strongly suggests a need for a variety of theoretical alternatives and traditions.
Allied to this is a rejection of the reductionism that suggests that consciousness can either be ontologically or causally reduced to neural patterns. I suggest instead the exploration of a range of alternatives, starting with property pluralism.
I question the right of those who seek to produce a one-size-fits-all theory of consciousness, emphasising the importance of a wide range of viewpoints on human nature. When different cultures and viewpoints interact, we often learn more than when dominant ideologies are allowed to stifle others. Many viewpoints are better than one.
Papers by Matt Colborn
https://psi-encyclopedia.spr.ac.uk/articles/decline-effect-parapsychology
Book Reviews by Matt Colborn
Talks by Matt Colborn
Articles by Matt Colborn
A tonic to this is something like William James’ philosophical pluralism. Since one’s knowledge of the world is constantly evolving but never complete, it seems inappropriate to reduce the cosmos to one substance, essence or principle. The partiality of any single theory also strongly suggests a need for a variety of theoretical alternatives and traditions.
Allied to this is a rejection of the reductionism that suggests that consciousness can either be ontologically or causally reduced to neural patterns. I suggest instead the exploration of a range of alternatives, starting with property pluralism.
I question the right of those who seek to produce a one-size-fits-all theory of consciousness, emphasising the importance of a wide range of viewpoints on human nature. When different cultures and viewpoints interact, we often learn more than when dominant ideologies are allowed to stifle others. Many viewpoints are better than one.
https://psi-encyclopedia.spr.ac.uk/articles/decline-effect-parapsychology