Ataya: HUMA Interdisciplinary Seminar Series
Project/Paper: Read a precis of The Hidden Spring (2021) by Mark Solms, and these reviews by Oliver Burke in The Guardian and by Claire Keeton on TimesLIVE: 'The riddle of consciousness solved?’ (Burke) and 'I feel, therefore I am: Cape neuropsychologist sheds new light on the mind' (Keeton).
Bio: Professor Mark Solms is Director of Neuropsychology at the Neuroscience Institute of the University of Cape Town and Honorary Lecturer in Neurosurgery at the St Bartholomew's and Royal London Hospital School of Medicine. He is also an Honorary Fellow of the American College of Psychiatrists and the Director of the Science Department of the American Psychoanalytic Association. He has received numerous honours and awards. He has published 350 scientific articles and chapters, and eight books, the latest being The Hidden Spring: A Journey to the Source of Consciousness (Norton, 2021). He is the authorised editor and translator of the forthcoming Revised Standard Edition of the Complete Psychological Works of Sigmund Freud (24 volumes) and The Complete Neuroscientific Works of Sigmund Freud (4 volumes).
Topic: In most attempts to find the neural correlates of consciousness, we have focused on visual perception, and in particular, the visual cortex. I will argue that this was a mistake. Visual perception is not an intrinsically conscious process. We should instead have looked at deeper, more ancient brain structures, that are responsible for raw feeling. Having identified these structures and their functions, I will discuss the implications for artificial consciousness.
How Ataya works: One presenter and their work – in exchange with the audience. Each Ataya session engages with selected work by the presenter (a text, artwork, performance, even food). The presenter introduces their work and grounds the subsequent discussion with the participants. For best engagement, we recommend participants to view the work (made available in advance on our website) before the session. More on the Ataya Series
