13 November 2012, Symposium: the cultural meaning of the life-sciences

American philosopher Daniel Dennett (Center for Cognitive Studies at Tufts University) has addressed two of the major cultural questions of our time, questions that have defined our self-image: Where do we come from and What is consciousness? He has shown that through the power of thinking combined with sheer hard work one can add new insights to the fields of study that these questions traditionally have belonged to, in this case evolutionary biology, neurobiology and psychology. Dennett addresses philosophical questions with tools derived from the Life Sciences. The new insights that he has developed are challenging and considered groundbreaking among the experts. However, they are also highly accessible to a wider academic readership.

This symposium offers a select group of PhD students an opportunity to enter into discussion with Daniel Dennett on a range of philosophical topics. The idea is that questions to Dennett should be inspired by on-going PhD work of the students. Deadline for applications: Tuesday 1 May 2012

For more information, see http://www.huizingainstituut.nl/