Professor Jakob Hohwy will deliver the keynote address for the Compassion Symposium at UQ

Date: Friday, 27th September

Time: 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM AEST

Location: Abel Smith Lecture Theatre, University of Queensland

Click here for further information and the link to register.

Abstract

Computational understandings of our perception and behaviour are becoming dominant but can seem inhospitable to contemplation, consciousness and compassion. By casting the brain as an organ for uncertainty reduction, I propose we can make conceptual room for those vital aspects of our lives. I illustrate this approach with examples from research on self, optimism, and morality. Useful insights about cultivating wisdom and compassion might follow from this perspective.

Bio

Professor Jakob Hohwy

Jakob Hohwy is Professor of Philosophy at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia. He is the Director of the Monash Centre for Consciousness and contemplative Studies (M3CS), which conducts theoretical and empirical research in consciousness science, contemplative studies, and philosophy of mind. In his work, Jakob collaborates with neuroscientists, psychologists, and psychiatrists on consciousness, self, mental health, and wellbeing. Jakob is the author of The Predictive Mind (OUP 2013), which explains perception, consciousness, and self through the notion of the brain as primarily engaged in uncertainty reduction.