Last week I attended the 39th annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience in Chicago. So did more than 30,000 other interested people. The changes in the focus of neuroscience since I first attended this meeting in the 1980's have been astonishing. The implications of recent findings are important to everyone. The combined forces of modern genomics and brain imagery tell us more about ourselves than we may be immediately comfortable with. Here's what the description of one of the sessions on the societal impact of neuroscience had to say:
"New insights into the nature of the brain and mind can have great implications for such concepts as the self, soul, free will, or what it means to be human. Some of those implications are already causing discomfort in segments of the public, including some religious groups. This session discusses both the nature of those issues and ways the scientific community can best engage the public and find common ground, potentially minimizing potential tensions between the field and society and maximizing opportunity for progress." Social Issues Roundtable: Engaging the Public on Ethical, Legal, and Social Implications of Neuroscience Research Organizer/Moderator: Alan Leshner, Ph.D., CEO, American Association for the Advancement of Science
This Sunday, November 1, I'll show some of the findings this session was based on and we'll cover some of the implications.
Please join us at 9:45. The more the merrier. As always, free and excellent, loving childcare is provided.
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