Wellcome Lecture: Dr Molly Crockett, "Moral enhancement? evidence and challenges"

Past Event

Date
18 November 2011, 6:00pm - 7:30pm

Location
Lecture Theatre, Oxford Martin School
34 Broad Street (corner of Holywell and Catte Streets), Oxford, OX1 3BD

This lecture is being hosted by the Institute for Science and Ethics

Speaker: Dr Molly Crockett, Sir Henry Wellcome Research Fellow, collaborating with University of Zürich and University College London

Summary: Can pills change our morals? Neuroscientists are now discovering how hormones and brain chemicals shape social behaviour, opening potential avenues for pharmacological manipulation of ethical values. In this talk, I will present an overview of recent studies showing how altering brain chemistry can change moral judgment and behaviour. These findings raise new questions about the anatomy of the moral mind, and suggest directions for future research in both neurobiology and practical ethics.

Biography: Dr Molly Crockett studies the neurobiology of morality and altruism, collaborating with economists at the University of Zürich and neuroscientists at University College London as a Sir Henry Wellcome Research Fellow. She studied psychology as an undergraduate at the University of California, Los Angeles, and completed her PhD in neuroscience as a Gates Scholar at the University of Cambridge.

All wellcome but registration is required. To book your place please email miriam.wood@philosophy.ox.ac.uk