In this talk, Roger Bartra will discuss his latest book Anthropology of the Brain: Consciousness, Culture and Free Will (2014), in which he explores the mysteries of the human brain, In the book, Bartra shows that consciousness is a phenomenon that occurs not only in the mind but also in an external network, a symbolic system. He argues that the symbolic systems created by humans in art, language, in cooking or in dress, are the key to understanding human consciousness. Placing culture at the centre of his analysis, Bartra brings together findings from anthropology and cognitive science and offers an original vision of the continuity between the brain and its symbolic environment.
This event is co-organized by CILAVS and the Centre for Medical Humanities at Birkbeck, University of London.Roger Bartra is Professor Emeritus at the University of Mexico (UNAM) and Honorary Research Fellow at Birkbeck, University of London.
All welcome. No booking required.
A drinks reception will follow.