Events

Is the Brain a Predictive Machine?

Hosted by Forum for European Philosophy “Consilience”

Sheikh Zayed Theatre, New Academic Building,

Speakers

Professor Paul Fletcher

Professor Karl Friston

Dr Demis Hassabis

Professor Richard Holton

Chair

Dr Benedetto De Martino

Is the world you are experiencing a mere forecast created by your brain? Research in neuroscience has suggested that you don’t see the colour of the sky but you anticipate its blueness and use your sense of vision to adjust this prediction. This radical idea explains how your brain can be one step ahead of reality, but also susceptible to placebos and illusions. In this event, psychiatrist Paul Fletcher, neuroscientist Karl Friston, expert in artificial intelligence Demis Hassabis and philosopher Richard Holton will discuss the implications of this idea.

Paul Fletcher is Bernard Wolfe Professor of Health Neuroscience at the University of Cambridge.

Karl Friston is Professor of Neuroscience at University College London.

Demis Hassabis is Vice President of Engineering at Google DeepMind.

Richard Holton is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Cambridge.

Benedetto De Martino (@bendemartino) is Sir Henry Dale Senior Research Fellow at the Department of Psychology at the University of Cambridge.

The Forum for European Philosophy (@LSEPhilosophy) is an educational charity which organises and runs a full and varied programme of philosophy and interdisciplinary events in the UK.

Suggested hashtag for this event for Twitter users: #LSEbrain

Podcasts

We aim to make all LSE events available as a podcast subject to receiving permission from the speaker/s to do this, and subject to no technical problems with the recording of the event. Podcasts are normally available 1-2 working days after the event. Podcasts and videos of past events can be found online.

Twitter and Facebook

You can get immediate notification on the availability of an event podcast by following LSE public lectures and events on Twitter, which will also inform you about the posting of transcripts and videos, the announcement of new events and other important event updates. Event updates and other information about what's happening at LSE can be found on the LSE's Facebook page.

CPD

This event has been certified for CPD purposes by the CPD Certification Service. Self-Assessment Record forms will be made available for delegates wishing to record further learning and knowledge enhancement for Continuing Personal and Professional Development (CPD) purposes. For delegates who wish to obtain a CPD Certificate of Attendance, it is the responsibility of delegates to register their details with a LSE steward at the end of the event and as of 1 September 2014 a certificate will be sent within 28 days of the date of the event attended by the CPD Certification Service.  If a delegate fails to register their details at the event, it will not prove possible to issue a certificate. (For queries relating to CPD Certificates of attendance after a request please phone 0208 840 4383 or email info@cpduk.co.uk).

LSE holds a wide range of events, covering many of the most controversial issues of the day, and speakers at our events may express views that cause offence. The views expressed by speakers at LSE events do not reflect the position or views of The London School of Economics and Political Science.