Can MRIs See Our Thoughts? (Not Really)

[LINK DROP] Plus: What is the use of "trauma"? And more links!

Hi Everyone,

Hope you’re having a good Weird-Week-Between-Christmas-and-New-Year. I present to you, links!

-The New Yorker does a deep dive on the latest fMRI technology—scientists attempting to physically see our thoughts, notice patterns of thinking and categorize them. But, as is true with so much mainstream media, the piece is too uncritical of this type of research. For example, it takes as a given the idea that scientists can identify depression in MRIs as true, when this is a hotly debated topic. Many researchers acknowledge that the brain is far too complex to be mapped with current technology, but this doesn’t stop the feverish reporting on a fantasy version of this science—the idea that we can see our thoughts is simply too attractive to let go of for some.