Prof. Dr. Stuart Derbyshire
National University of Singapore
Freedom in a Determinist Universe
For additional details and to register for the event, please go here.
When:
8 May, 2024: 16:15 – 17:45
Where:
VUB Main Campus Etterbeek
Pleinlaan 2
1050 Elsene
Building C, room C2.07A
*Free of charge*
Psychologist and philosopher Stuart Derbyshire (Singapore University) will deliver the final Knowledge In International Perspective (KIIP) seminar, co-hosted with the Pauwels Academy for Critical Thinking (PACT), titled Freedom in a Determinist Universe.
Freedom is the cornerstone of our academic mission: freedom from dogmas, freedom to form and express opinions, and freedom to shape our own lives. But is free will truly free, or is it merely an illusion?
Professor Stuart Derbyshire, a renowned psychologist from the University of Singapore’s Faculty of Arts and Culture, has been exploring this provocative question. On May 8th, he will deliver a lecture as part of the KIIP series, where he will discuss his latest research findings on free will, combining insights from psychology and neuro-imaging.
The debate around the existence of free will is not new. Philosophers have pondered it for centuries, and now neurologists are also contributing to the discussion. Their findings suggest that even simple decisions, like choosing to pick up a glass of water, may not be as free as we think. The concept at the heart of this discussion is “readiness potential” or RP, a type of electrical activity in the brain that occurs before we become conscious of making a decision. This challenges the traditional view that we consciously make decisions and then act on them.
Is there more to this, and does the concept of free will still stand? This lecture promises to offer fascinating insights, particularly for those at a university like ours that values freedom of thought and action highly.
Stuart Derbyshire is an Associate Professor in the National University of Singapore Psychology Department with a joint appointment in the National University of Singapore College. His primary research interest is pain, with a particular focus on pain that occurs without obvious injury or disease. There are many clinical conditions, including fibromyalgia, low back pain and irritable bowel syndrome, where the subjective experience of pain exceeds what might be expected from the objective signs of injury or disease. Stuart has examined these patients using functional imaging in combination with direct stimulation and using hypnosis, images of others in pain, and illusions to modify pain experience.
The lecture is part of the VUB’s PACT public program. After the lecture, philosopher, writer, and PACT curator Alicja Gescinska will lead a discussion with Professor Derbyshire, inviting audience participation. The session will be moderated by Professor Cornelis Johannes Schilt, who initiated the ‘Knowledge in International Perspective’ (KIIP) lecture series.
