The Consciousness Conundrum

Saturday 10^th October 2.00pm 
Moordown Community Centre, Coronation Avenue, Moordown Bournemouth BH9 1TW

With Senior Lecturer in Cognitive Psychology Dr Peter Naish

What is consciousness, and how do physical processes in the brain give rise to the sub­jective life of a conscious mind?

Simple animals like the amoeba presumably have no such experience, since they have no brain or nervous system, yet they can react to their surroundings well enough to survive without it. Many of our own cognitive functions such as perceiving objects, making decisions, and even performing apparently voluntary actions can take place without consciousness intervening, but if we can function without conscious awareness, why should consciousness be there at all? Is consciousness just an accidental by-product of having a large brain, or has it been selected for by evolution because creatures with consciousness have improved prospects for survival?

Historically, questions about the ‘hard problem’ of consciousness have primarily been a topic for philosophers, but advances in neuroscience are bringing us closer to a scientific understanding. Peter Naish, a senior lecturer in cognitive psychology at The Open University, will be revealing many of the latest developments in our efforts to unravel the mysteries of consciousness.

“A fascinating exploration of the mysteries of consciousness”

Free entry (donations appreciated).     Everyone welcome!

Please indicate your interest in attending this event on Meetup.com and/or facebook as it helps raise our group’s profile on these sites (Meetup also offers you timely email reminders and an easy way to discover other interesting groups in your area). To help you find them, here are the direct links to our event listings on these sites:

http://www.meetup.com/Dorset-Humanists/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/dorsethumanists/events/

You can also help us promote Dorset Humanists and this event by displaying an A4 poster. Download an A4 printable copy here, or email Dave at DHcensus(at)hotmail.co.uk for a PDF.

Click here to view details of other forthcoming and recent events on this website.

The Wrong Sort of Banker: Has Britain Succumbed to the ‘Finance Curse’?

Wednesday 23^rd September 7.30pm
The Green House Hotel,  4 Grove Road, Bournemouth BH1 3AX

With John Christensen of the Tax Justice Network

Studies by several renowned economists including Nobel prize winner Joseph Stiglitz have established that countries which depend heavily on natural resources such as oil or diamonds often perform worse than their resource-poor peers in terms of human development, governance and long-term economic growth. The economic collapse in Cyprus offered a recent example of how an over-sized financial centre can similarly create over-dependence on a single sector, attract the brightest and the best away from other industries, and corrupt a country’s political systems. As the world’s largest exporter of financial services, could the City of London be having a similar effect on Britain?

In this fascinating presentation, Executive Director of the Tax Justice Network John Christensen will share the results of his many years of research into the subject. John is a former economic adviser to the British Crown Dependency of Jersey, and his research on offshore finance has been widely published. He featured prominently in the award-winning film documentary ‘The Price We Pay’ (2014) and co-authored ‘The Finance Curse: how oversized financial sectors attack democracy and corrupt economics’.

“Join us to discover how the City of London influences our politics and economy”

Free entry (donations appreciated).     Everyone welcome!

(The Green House Hotel can also be accessed via its rear entrance in Gervis Road. The hotel has a small onsite car park, and roadside parking is also available in Gervis Road).

Please indicate your interest in attending this event on Meetup.com and/or facebook as it helps raise our group’s profile on these sites (Meetup also offers you timely email reminders and an easy way to discover other interesting groups in your area). To help you find them, here are the direct links to our event listings on these sites:

http://www.meetup.com/Dorset-Humanists/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/dorsethumanists/events/

You can also help us promote Dorset Humanists and this event by displaying an A4 poster. Download an A4 printable copy here, or email Dave at DHcensus(at)hotmail.co.uk for a PDF.

Click here to view details of other forthcoming and recent events on this website.