Sean Carroll's Mindscape: Science, Society, Philosophy, Culture, Arts, and Ideas 180 | Camilla Pang on Instructions for Being Human
Jan 17, 2022
Camilla Pang, a postdoctoral researcher and author of "Explaining Humans," shares her journey navigating social interactions as someone with autism. She discusses the unwritten rules of being human, offers insights into neurodiversity, and highlights the importance of empathy. The conversation bridges science and personal anecdotes, exploring how machine learning parallels human decision-making. Pang emphasizes the complexities of communication and memory, drawing intriguing comparisons between protein behavior and social etiquette, illustrating the intersection of science and human experience.
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Literal Interpretation
- When asked if her mom was home, young Camilla confirmed and hung up, taking the question literally.
- This illustrates her initial struggle with subtext and social cues.
Decision-Making and Machine Learning
- Pang uses supervised vs. unsupervised learning to explain decision-making.
- Unsupervised learning, like tree thinking, is better for unpredictable situations, while supervised learning is good for predefined categories.
Embracing Errors
- Pang learned from machine learning to embrace errors and update conclusions.
- This is valuable for navigating social situations.
