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COGS open lectures in 2021
These lectures are open to all members of the University, regardless of School, Department, degree or year, who are interested in learning more about cognitive science, and will be of particular interest and relevence to Informatics first- and second-year undergraduates, new Masters and PhD students, COGS IDP students, and students of neuroscience, psychology and philosophy. About half of the lectures explore historical themes, while the remainder describe cutting-edge research in the area.
| Date | Seminar | Venue |
|---|---|---|
|
Mar 3 |
Minds as Machines - Origins of the Idea Modern Cognitive Science emerged as an interdisciplinary science in the second half of the 20th Century. In many ways this was a highly fruitful combining of ideas, activities, and scientific disciplines which had drifted apart. Although some of these ideas date back to classical Athens it was the development of modern computer technology - roughly in the period 1936-1958 - that inspired a new science of the mind and radical new ways of doing psychology (and psychiatry). This lecture takes an historical perspective on that period and on some of the people from many various and different areas who inspired the birth of Cognitive Science. |
13:00 - 14:00 |
|
Mar 10 |
When GOFAI was NEWFAI So-called Good Old Fashioned Artificial Intelligence may not be seen as the cutting edge of research nowadays but it is still important and effective. This history of GOFAI tracks its development from experimental and ‘way-out’ ideas to a technology which is now seen as a routine component of modern computing - and, just as important, an important insight into human thinking. |
13:00 - 14:00 |
|
Mar 17 |
What in the World is Consciousness? Consciousness is, for each of us, the presence of a world. Without consciousness there is no world, no self: there is nothing at all. But we know surprisingly little about the material and biological basis of this most central feature of our lives. How do rich multisensory experiences, the senses of self and body, and volition, agency, and ‘will’ emerge from the joint activity of billions of neurons locked inside a bony skull? Once the province of philosophy and theology, understanding consciousness has now re-emerged as a major scientific challenge for this century. In this talk we will take a tour of this new science of consciousness, with a focus on what neuroscience has to offer. I will distinguish between conscious level (how conscious we are), conscious content (what we are conscious of), and conscious self (the specific experience of being you), describing in each case how new experiments are shedding light on the underlying neural mechanisms, in normal life and in neurological and psychiatric conditions. Throughout, I will emphasize phenomenology – the way things seem – as the target for any satisfying explanation of how the brain, in conjunction with the body and the environment, gives rise to and shapes conscious experience. To learn more, go to: |
13:00 - 14:00 |
|
Apr 21 |
Embodied Minds Biologically evolved intelligence makes the most of brain, body, and world. This talk looks at the resulting complexity, and highlights some of the unexpected advantages of solutions that span multiple levels of organization (neural, bodily, worldly) and that take shape at multiple time-scales (evolution, development, learning) |
13:00-14:00 |
|
postponed |
Heart, Brain, Mind tba
|
https://universityofsussex.zoom.us/j/97038026105 13:00 - 14:00 |
|
postponed |
The Predicitive Mind tba |
https://universityofsussex.zoom.us/j/97038026105 13:00-14:00 |
Please mention COGS and COGS seminars to all potentially interested newcomers to the university.
A good way to keep informed about COGS Seminars is to be a member of COGS. Any member of the university may join COGS and the COGS mailing list by using the subscription form at .
