Philosophy Café – What am I? by Dr Conor McHugh

10/30/12 • 29 min

Lecturer Dr Conor McHugh challenged the audience at the University of Southampton Philosophy Cafe to consider what makes a person. He asked them to ponder what would happen if scientists swapped individual’s brains from one person to another: “Which, if either, of the resulting people is you? What if the scientists erase all of my memories and scan them into your brain? In that case, it will seem to you that it was you who, for example, wrote these words. Is this impression illusory?” Conor’s lively session, encouraging people to think about such questions, was aimed at helping us to get clearer on personal identity and on our concern for our own futures.

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Philosophy Café – Free will: a necessary illusion?

Subjectively we view ourselves as in control of most of our actions, and we think that other people are largely responsible for theirs. But objectively, we can see that what we do is caused by many events and circumstances stretching back into the past, which has suggested to some people that free will is an illusion. Which view should win out? Or is there no real conflict between them? Professor Chris Janaway discussed these issues at the latest session of the Philosophy Cafe.

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Philosophy Café – What’s so good about free thinking? By Dr Sasha Mudd.

The notion of ‘free thought' is fundamental to many of our deeply cherished liberal ideals. Universities, books, and people are often celebrated (or feared) for their power to encourage it, and many liberal institutions exist to protect it. However, it is surprisingly difficult to say what free thought is, and why it's worth having. Lecturer Dr Sasha Mudd explored the meaning and significance of ‘free thought' in a popular Philosophy Cafe session at the John Hansard Gallery on campus. She drew on insights from two of its greatest champions: Immanuel Kant and John Stuart Mill.