Madrid, 1-6 January 2009
Is science compatible with our desire for freedom?
Overview of the topics which shall be discussed during the Seminar
The assumption that human behavior is not completely determined by the past plays a key role in the way we behave in daily life and organize society through law. When I typewrite this text, I assume that I am governing the movements of my fingers through my free will and that I am responsible for its contents. Accordingly I claim to be the author of the text and to express original thoughts, which are not completely pre-determined at the beginning of the universe. Anyone who claims for the right "to choose how to live his life" should coherently exclude any purely deterministic description of his brain, in terms of genes, chemicals or environmental influences. Does this mean that wishing to be free conflicts with science?
The 11th International Interdisciplinary Seminar aims to investigate this issue. The method of the Seminar consists in using scientific evidence as the basis for philosophical discussion, and accordingly the presentations will rely on scientific experiments and mathematical theorems.
TENTATIVE PROGRAM
Each day the seminar session shall take place in the morning since 10:00 till 14:00.
Tutorials shall be postponed, if necessary, in the afternoon.
2 January
- Massimiliano Berti, "General Introduction of the seminar"
- Vuko Brigljevic, "Indeterminacy at the core of all physical laws"
- Paolo Sberna, "Il caos deterministico"
- Riccardo Pitton - Andrea Manazza, "Neuranatomy in brief"
- Tutorial, "Fundamentals of Quantum Mechanics"
- Tutorial, "Fundamentals of Neuranatomy"
3 January
- Antoine Suarez, "Quantum randomness can be controlled by non-material influences"
- José Manuel Giménez-Amaya, "Neuroscience and free will: an interdisciplinary approach"
4 January
- Stephen Brock, "The Spiritual Nature of Choice"
- Antoine Suarez, "Evolution: intelligent design and the new atheism
- Vuko Brigljevic, "Finding Darwin's God"
5 January
- Massimiliano Berti - Rocco Tarchini, "Is there free will in mathematics?"
- Andrea Manazza: "Persistent vegetative state: are these patients really unconscious?"
- Antonio Paradies - Marco Natale: "Some issues about freedom in mathematics"
- Conclusions
Invited Talks
Confirmation received from the following speakers:
- Stephen Brock: "The Spiritual Nature of Choice".
- Antoine Suarez: "Quantum randomness can be controlled by non-material influences"
- José Manuel Giménez-Amaya: "Neuroscience and free will: an interdisciplinary approach"
- Massimiliano Berti: "Is there free will in Mathematics?"
- Vuko Brigljevic: "Indeterminacy at the core of all physical laws"
- Andrea Manazza: "Persistent vegetative state: are these patients really unconscious?"
Stay in Madrid
This year the International Interdisciplinary Seminar will be at
Collegio Mayor Moncloa
.
Cost per day of the seminar (including secretary, board and lodging): 40€ (the whole seminar lasts 5 days)
Information about accommodation and location can be found
here
and
here
and also
here
.
Some grants offered by Fondazione RUI and IPE (Istituto per le attività Educative), for living and travel expences, are available. For information contact Antonio Paradies at a.paradies@studenti.unina.it
Useful documents and links for deepening.
If you want to upload any document please send it to scienseminar@altervista.org (I read the e-mail twice a week).
If an author doesn't want that his paper is downloaded from this site, please write at scienseminar@altervista.org and I'll remove that link immediatly
For any information, comment, suggestion or whatever you want, please contact me at scienseminar@altervista.org