Saturday, June 13, 2009, 8:00 PM - 9:30 PM,
Do we choose our actions or are they pre-determined? Is free will real or an illusion? In this special presentation with the 92nd Street Y, Nobel laureate Paul Nurse joins psychologist Daniel Wegner, neuroscientist Patrick Haggard, and philosopher Alfred Mele for a discussion that promises to illuminate this pivotal and perplexing age-old puzzle.
Moderator
Paul Nurse
Participants
Patrick Haggard is a researcher at the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London. He has studied the relationships between brain activity and subjective experience. He has published extensively on voluntary action, particularly on how and when we become conscious of our intentions and our actions. read more
Alfred Mele is the William H. and Lucyle T. Werkmeister Professor of Philosophy at Florida State University. He researches free will and its moral implications. He is the author of several books including Free Will and Luck and Effective Intentions. read more
Paul Nurse is a Nobel Laureate and the President of Rockefeller University, where he continues to do research in cell biology. He is the former Chief Executive of Cancer Research, UK. In 1999 he was knighted in Great Britain for his contributions to cancer research. read more
Daniel M. Wegner is Professor of Psychology at Harvard University. He studies how human minds accomplish self-control and guide us through social life. He conducted pioneering research on how people identify their actions and what gives us the sense that we are consciously causing them. read more