New ¾«¶«´«Ã½ presents ...
Instant Expert – Inside the conscious mind
Saturday 7 September, 10am - 5pm | Conway Hall, 25 Red Lion Square, London, WC1R 4RL
For centuries, philosophers have grappled with the mystery of consciousness: the unique inner world that seems fundamental to human existence. Despite the long-standing challenge of finding a definitive answer, the last two decades have seen a surge in neuroscience research, offering fascinating insights into its nature.
The conscious mind acts like a conductor, orchestrating a symphony of sensations, perceptions, thoughts, and memories to create the unified narrative of a person's life. It allows us to experience the world around us and have a sense of self. Perhaps the greatest challenge facing neuroscientists today is understanding how this all arises from a complex network of just a kilo or so of brain cells.
NEW EVENT FORMAT FOR 2024
We are always seeking ways to make our events more inclusive and to find new ways to deliver value to you. For 2024 we have reduced the ticket prices and introduced a new ticket option “super early bird” for our Instant Expert events. All our Instant Expert events will be held at Conway Hall, 25 Red Lion Square, London. An Instant Expert ticket will no longer included refreshments or lunch, but the agenda includes a lunch break and there are many great eateries close to Conway Hall to choose from. But what doesn’t change is that each event will continue to feature six expert speakers sharing their knowledge and latest research on the event topic. We hope you like the changes we have made to the event format for 2024, and as always we welcome your feedback.
At this Instant Expert, you’ll:
- Explore the latest groundbreaking discoveries in neuroscience.
- Gain a deeper understanding of the brain’s mysteries.
- Meet and learn from leading researchers at the forefront of the field.
- Ask questions and engage in discussions about the future of our consciousness.
Talks and speakers:
The Edge of Sentience: Risk and Precaution in Humans, Other Animals, and AI
Jonathan Birch, Associate Professor, Department of Philosophy Logic and Scientific Method, London School of Economics
Can octopuses feel pain and pleasure? What about crabs, shrimps, insects or spiders? How do we tell whether a person unresponsive after severe brain injury might be suffering? When does a fetus in the womb start to have conscious experiences? Could there even be rudimentary feelings in miniature models of the human brain, grown from human stem cells? And what about AI? These are questions about the edge of sentience, and they are subject to enormous, disorienting uncertainty. The stakes are immense, and neglecting the risks can have terrible costs. We need to err on the side of caution, yet it’s often far from clear what ‘erring on the side of caution’ should mean in practice. When are we going too far? When are we not doing enough? Birch's new book The Edge of Sentience presents a precautionary framework designed to help us reach ethically sound, evidence-based decisions despite our uncertainty - the talk will introduce the main ideas from the book.
How Studying Consciousness Can Help Physics
George Musser, Contributing Editor, Scientific American Magazine
We’re living in super-exciting times in artificial intelligence, neuroscience, and fundamental physics. Although people tend to pigeonhole these disciplines into separate boxes, there’s a vigorous exchange of ideas among them. And physics, for one, needs that. Physicists see hints that the deepest puzzles in our understanding of the natural universe hinge on the question of what -we- are and how finite creatures can comprehend something so much vaster than ourselves. This is especially acute in quantum physics. Now that neuroscientists, psychologists, and philosophers of mind have developed theories of consciousness, can they give physicists a helping hand?
How does my brain create me? The neuroscience of self-consciousness.
Prof. Jane Aspell, Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience, Anglia Ruskin University
What are you and how did your brain create you? Although everyone has (and is) a self, it is not easy to explain how selves came to arise in the world. Most people associate self-consciousness with personality and identity, but what lies at its core – what is its deep biological basis? In this talk, Jane Aspell will argue that the self is grounded in the brain’s model of the body: that the physical self is the foundation for the mental self. Jane will discuss how disturbed interactions between the body and the brain can give rise to disorders of self such as ‘out of body experiences’ and depersonalisation disorder. Studies of the brain bases of these conditions, and virtual reality experiments that perturb the self in healthy individuals are starting to reveal how the brain generates the cornerstone of our consciousness: our self.
Can gut microbiota influence our consciousness through our emotional and thought processes?
Philip Burnet, Professor of Neuroscience, University of Oxford
Self awareness or consciousness has often been proposed to consist of several psychological and physiological components that respond to internal and external stimuli. Emotional wellbeing depends on how we feel and this in turn may rely on how we think about, and cope with life challenges. Over the past couple of decades, neuroscientists have revealed that gut bacteria can influence emotional behaviours; could this be the basis of our “gut feelings”? In his talk, Philip will introduce the concept of the microbiome-gut-brain axis and show that the dietary manipulation of gut microbes can alter emotional behaviour and cognitive function. These will be discussed in terms of mental health where the perception of the self is often distorted.
Believed-in imaginings
Zoltan Dienes, Professor in Experimental Psychology, University of Sussex
People have to varying degrees the capacity to alter subjective experience such that it misrepresents reality in ways consistent with goals, and such that the misrepresentation can be sustained over at least minutes despite clear contrary evidence. That is, people have a capacity for phenomenological control. No hypnotic induction is needed for people to exercise this capacity; and its exercise can result in corresponding neurophysiological changes. People can use the capacity to fulfill requirements of social situations or personal needs. One prominent such situation is hypnosis. But there are others. Situations in life may also call for certain experiences, for example, encountering a spiritual world according to one’s beliefs, projecting ki in esoteric martial arts, feeling the pain of other people, or feeling tingles from ASMR youtube videos. These experiences can be constructed so that they seem to confirm the beliefs of all those involved.
Colour vision and individual experience
Jenny Bosten, Senior Lecturer in Psychology (Psychology), University of Sussex
What makes one person see red as red and another as slightly orange? In this talk, Jenny Bosten will delve into the captivating world of colour vision, challenging the assumption of a universal colour experience. Jenny will explore how individual differences in genetics, physiology, and cultural background shape our perception of colour. Through a combination of scientific research and personal anecdotes, she will illuminate the complex interplay between biology, psychology, and environment in creating our unique visual experiences.
Who should attend?
This masterclass is designed for everyone with a passion for the brain, from curious beginners to neuroscience enthusiasts. No prior knowledge is required, just an open mind and a curiosity to learn.
Benefits of attending:
- Become an expert in one day
- Informal set-up, meet like minded people
- Open your mind, be inspired
- Unique chance to ask your burning questions to our experts
What's included in your ticket:
- In-depth and engaging talks from six leading scientists
- Ask-an-expert Question Time session
- Your chance to meet our six speakers and New ¾«¶«´«Ã½ host
- Exclusive on-the-day New ¾«¶«´«Ã½ subscription deal, book and merchandise offers
Booking information:
The event will be held at the Conway Hall, 25 Red Lion Square, London WC1R 4RL Doors will open at 9:15am, with talks commencing at 10am sharp. The event will finish at 5pm.We require the name of each person attending - please ensure this is provided at the time of booking. If you need to change the name of an attendee, please notify us as soon as possible: live@newscientist.comEventbrite will email you your ticket(s) immediately after purchase. Please remember to bring your ticket(s) with you as you'll need it to gain entry. We can scan tickets from a print out, or off the screen of a phone / tablet / smartwatch.The schedule / exact running order for the day will be confirmed closer to the event, and will be emailed to all ticket holders.Lunch will NOT be provided at this event. Visitors are welcome to bring their own food, or purchase lunch at one of the many establishments around Red Lion Square and the surrounding area.Should you require details about disabled access, please contact us at: live@newscientist.comTickets are non-transferable to any other New ¾«¶«´«Ã½ event.All tickets are non-refundable.New ¾«¶«´«Ã½ reserves the right to alter the event and its line-up, or cancel the event. In the unlikely event of cancellation, all tickets will be fully refunded. ¾«¶«´«Ã½ will not be liable for any additional expenses incurred by ticket holders in relation to the event.Tickets are subject to availability and are only available in advance through Eventbrite.