Is the Human Mind Unique?
Event Dates:
Feb 15, 2013 -
1:00pm to 5:30pm
Event Chairs:
Terrence Deacon, University of California, Berkeley
V.S. Ramachandran, University of California, San Diego
Scientists from many different fields gathered to discuss cognitive abilities often regarded as unique to humans including humor, morality, symbolism, creativity, and preoccupation with the minds of others. Emphasis was placed on the functional uniqueness of these attributes, as opposed to the anatomical uniqueness, and whether these attributes are indeed quantitatively or qualitatively unique to humans.
Event Sessions
Media for each talk can be played by clicking on icons in the "Media" column, or by clicking on the individual talk titles below and then the attachment file at the bottom of the page.
| Date | Media | Session Title | Speakers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri 2/15 |
 |
Welcome and Opening Remarks |
Fred Gage, Salk Institute V.S. Ramachandran, University of California, San Diego |
| Fri 2/15 |
|
Symbolic Communication: Why is Human Thought so Flexible? | Terrence Deacon, University of California, Berkeley |
| Fri 2/15 |
|
Desperately Seeking Explanation | Daniel Povinelli, University of Louisiana at Lafayette |
| Fri 2/15 |
|
An Evolved and Creative Mind | Steven Mithen, University of Reading |
| Fri 2/15 |
|
Humor | Daniel Dennett, Tufts University |
| Fri 2/15 |
|
Archaeological Evidence for Mind | Colin Renfrew, University of Cambridge |
| Fri 2/15 |
|
Entering the 'Soul Niche' | Nicholas Humphrey, Senior Member, Darwin College, University of Cambridge |
| Fri 2/15 |
|
Skilled Performance and Artistry | Merlin Donald, Queen's University |
| Fri 2/15 |
|
Moral Sense | Patricia Churchland, University of California, San Diego |
| Fri 2/15 |
|
Inter-Modular Interactions, Metaphor, and the 'Great Leap' | V.S. Ramachandran, University of California, San Diego |
| Fri 2/15 |
|
Wrap Up, Question and Answer, and Closing Remarks |
Terrence Deacon, University of California, Berkeley V.S. Ramachandran, University of California, San Diego Ajit Varki, UC San Diego School of Medicine |
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
 CARTA Feb2013 symposium map_1.pdf | 244.59 KB |
| CARTA Symposium abstracts 021513.pdf | 150.6 KB |
| CARTA Symposium biosketches Feb2013.pdf | 166.07 KB |
