October 2016
The Idea of Freedom of Choice in Neuroscience and History
Speakers: Sophia Rosenfeld (Yale), Sheena Iyengaar (Columbia), David Barack (Columbia). Being "free to choose" has arguably become a stand-in for broader concepts of freedom in many parts of the world today. What do Neuroscientists and Historians think of this?
Find out more »Theory of Mind – Seminars in Society and Neuroscience
Speakers Laurie Santos, Rebecca Saxe, and Joshua Knobe will discuss the topic of theory of mind, moderated by Patricia Kitcher.
Find out more »Audra Wolfe – The Fight for Science and Freedom: Recovering the Role of Science in Cold War-Era Cultural Diplomacy
Audra Wolfe uses the story of the Congress for Cultural Freedom’s failed science programming to explore broader U.S. visions of science as a tool for cultural diplomacy—covert, overt, or something in between.
Find out more »November 2016
Cultures of Conservation “Keyword” Panel: Digging into Central Park’s Layered Past
As New York City’s population boomed and urban expansion headed northward in the nineteenth century, the city’s landscape changed drastically. In 1853 the State Legislature set aside 750 acres (later extended) for what would become Central Park, an urban oasis and today one of the city’s most beloved attractions. The Park’s multilayered history will be examined by a panel of speakers representing the history, archaeology, urban studies, and preservation fields. Christopher Nolan of the Central Park Conservancy will introduce the…
Find out more »Beyond the Hype: “Buddhism and Neuroscience” in a New Key
Scholars from scientific and social science fields examine the idea of a convergence between Buddhism and neuroscience.
Find out more »The Iago Galdston Lecture: When Mexican Physicians Take to the Streets and to Villages
What does it mean to be a physician activist in a middle income or poor country? Since 1917, the Mexican constitution has guaranteed universal healthcare for all workers. Yet making this constitutional promise a reality has been a persistent challenge that remains unresolved today. Mexican physicians have often been caught in the middle of political and policy discussions about the delivery of universal health care. Indeed, in 20th-century Mexico, physicians redefined their roles as healers and became activists, anthropologists, protestors,…
Find out more »Characterizing Animals in Science and Fiction
Our panelists approach questions about animals and the human imagination from perspectives in history, literature, evolutionary biology, and neuroscience.
Find out more »What Would it Mean to Understand Climate Change?
Efforts abound to "understand" climate change. But what kind of understanding is needed? Does "understanding" mean the same thing to concerned citizens as it does to scientists, humanities scholars, or policy makers?
Find out more »Fabian Kraemer – The Two Cultures Avant La Lettre: The Sciences and the Humanities in the Nineteenth Century
Fabian Kramer will trace the emergence of the dichotomy between science and the humanities with a particular focus on the German academic system in the nineteenth century.
Find out more »December 2016
The Transmission of Knowledge: Tool Use and Cognition – Seminars in Society and Neuroscience
Why have so many animals from across the evolutionary tree evolved the ability to learn to use tools, as well as the cognitive capacity to learn from others?
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