Gut Instinct, Hard Science: The New Neuroscience of Intuition

The podcast explores the neural dynamics of intuition, defining it as a rapid, experience-based pathfinding mechanism crucial for decision-making. It challenges the traditional neuroscience paradigm of stimulus-response, positing that motor output often precedes and shapes sensory input. Intuition is framed as an evolutionary adaptation closely tied to agency, memory, and goal-sensing, utilizing brain structures like the hippocampus and entorhinal cortex for navigation. The discussion highlights the role of hippocampal sharp wave ripples in replaying past experiences and predicting future possibilities, linking intuition to problem-solving and creativity. The free energy principle and metastability are presented as theoretical frameworks, emphasizing the brain's drive to minimize uncertainty and maintain cognitive flexibility.