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Artwork for Philosophy for Kids / Philosophy's Not Boring: The Kids Philosophy Podcast
Philosophy for Kids / Philosophy's Not Boring: The Kids Philosophy Podcast · Saturday · 11 min

Why do we dream?

Have you ever woken up after riding a flying purple turtle or running from a giant slow-motion marshmallow? Dreams are totally weird, but what are they actually for? Join Mira and Finn on a mind-bending journey inside the human brain to find out! Back in nineteen fifty-one, a scientist named Eugene Aserinsky wanted to know what happens when we sleep. He taped safe little sensors to his eight-year-old son's face and made an amazing discovery! He found out that our eyes dart around wildly during a stage of sleep called REM, or Rapid Eye Movement. But why do our brains make these crazy midnight movies? We'll explore three huge mysteries! Is your brain acting like a giant filing cabinet to sort your daily memories? Is it running safe "fire drills" to practice escaping from danger? Or is the thinking part of your brain just frantically trying to glue random electrical static together into a wacky, magical story? Tune in to uncover the incredible science and philosophy behind the invisible worlds playing inside your head every single night!

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show notes

Have you ever woken up after riding a flying purple turtle or running from a giant slow-motion marshmallow? Dreams are totally weird, but what are they actually for? Join Mira and Finn on a mind-bending journey inside the human brain to find out! Back in nineteen fifty-one, a scientist named Eugene Aserinsky wanted to know what happens when we sleep. He taped safe little sensors to his eight-year-old son's face and made an amazing discovery! He found out that our eyes dart around wildly during a stage of sleep called REM, or Rapid Eye Movement. But why do our brains make these crazy midnight movies? We'll explore three huge mysteries! Is your brain acting like a giant filing cabinet to sort your daily memories? Is it running safe "fire drills" to practice escaping from danger? Or is the thinking part of your brain just frantically trying to glue random electrical static together into a wacky, magical story? Tune in to uncover the incredible science and philosophy behind the invisible worlds playing inside your head every single night!

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