Is the Human Mind Unique? | Center for Academic Research and Training in Anthropogeny (CARTA)

Event Date (Pacific Time):

Friday, Feb 15, 2013 - 1:00pm to 5:30pm

Venue:

Salk Institute - Conrad T. Prebys Auditorium

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.

Media	Session	Speakers
	Welcome and Opening Remarks	Fred Gage, Salk Institute V.S. Ramachandran, University of California, San Diego
	Symbolic Communication: Why is Human Thought so Flexible?	Terrence Deacon, University of California, Berkeley
	Desperately Seeking Explanation	Daniel Povinelli, University of Louisiana at Lafayette
	An Evolved and Creative Mind	Steven Mithen, University of Reading
	Humor	Daniel Dennett, Tufts University
	Archaeological Evidence for Mind	Colin Renfrew, University of Cambridge
	Entering the 'Soul Niche'	Nicholas Humphrey, Senior Member, Darwin College, University of Cambridge
	Skilled Performance and Artistry	Merlin Donald, Queen's University
	Moral Sense	Patricia Churchland, University of California, San Diego
	Inter-Modular Interactions, Metaphor, and the 'Great Leap'	V.S. Ramachandran, University of California, San Diego
	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

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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