Book of Minds: How to Understand Ourselves and Other Beings–cancelled

This event has been cancelled due to Philip Ball contracting Covid. Refunds will be made after the Festival or you can exchange your ticket at the Festival Box Office for two non-premium events of your choice (availability will be based on venue capacity).

Understanding the human mind and how it relates to the world of experience has challenged scientists and philosophers for centuries. How do we even begin to think about ‘minds’ that are not human? This is the question explored by award-winning science writer Philip Ball. He argues that in order to understand our own minds and imagine those of other, we need to move on from considering the human mind as a standard against which all other should be measured.

Science has begun to have something to say about the properties of mind; the more we learn about the minds of other creatures, from octopuses to chimpanzees, to imagine the potential minds of computers and alien intelligences, the more we can begin to see our own, and the more we can understand the diversity of the human mind, in the widest of contexts. By understanding how minds differ, we can also best understand our own.