Café Scientifique: Consciousness in Humans and Other Animals November 17, 2009

Anil Seth (University of Sussex)

7:30 for 8pm start.

Meetings are FREE (although a contribution to expenses is appreciated)

How do conscious experience, subjectivity and free will arise from the brain and the body? Even in the late 20th century, consciousness was considered by many to be beyond the reach of science. Now, understanding the neural mechanisms underlying consciousness is recognized as a key objective for 21st century science. Powerful new combinations of functional brain imaging, computational modelling and basic neurobiology bring real hope that human ingenuity can resolve this central mystery of life. I will discuss recent progress in the science of consciousness, focusing on the challenging question of how we can characterize consciousness - or its absence - in non-human animals, infants, and clinical cases such as coma and the vegetative state.

Anil Seth is an EPSRC Leadership Fellow and Co-Director of the recently established Sackler Centre for Consciousness Science at Sussex University.

See also: www.anilseth.com

Official Website: http://www.cafe-scientifique-brighton.org.uk/