What is Freedom?

February 19-20, 2010

Minding our Morals: Freedom and the Brain

February 19, 2010 at 07:00 PM
MIT Room 10-250 (On second floor of MIT's signature building with the dome. Street address: 222 Memorial Drive, Cambridge, MA 02139)

Presenters:

William Hurlbut, Physician and Consulting Professor, Neuroscience Institute, Stanford University Steven Pinker, Professor and Johnstone Family Professor of Psychology, Harvard University Troy Van Voorhis, Associate Professor in the Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Steven Pinker, Johnstone Family Professor of Psychology at Harvard University and best-selling author, engages in a dialogue on the human brain's capacity for making moral decisions with Dr. William Hurlbut, prominent bioethicist and Consulting Professor in the Neuroscience Institute at Stanford University. Speaking as scientists and as individuals - one an atheist, the other a Christian - they explore what science tell us about free choice and how this impacts their views on morality. Be prepared to exercise your brains. Q&A is moderated by Troy Van Voorhis, Associate Professor of Chemistry.

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Freedom: In Body or in Spirit

February 20, 2010 at 07:00 PM
MIT Room 32-123 (Stata Center. Street address: 32 Vassar Street Cambridge, MA 02139)

Presenters:

Beatrice Fernando, Activist Annette Kim, Associate Professor in the Department of Urban Studies and Planning, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Take a stand as you hear Beatrice Fernando - advocate, author, and former slave - educate the MIT community on the brutal realities of modern day slavery, and share how her faith has impacted her life as a survivor of human tra fficking. Drawing on the testimony she presented before Congress in 2005, she addresses questions such as: "What is our responsibility towards the oppressed?" and "Is freedom from physical bondage enough?" Q&A is moderated by Annette Kim, Associate Professor of Urban Studies and Planning in the International Development Group.

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