Film Forum New York, NY
Rafael Yuste, M.D., Ph.D
Neuroscientist, Professor of Biological Sciences and Director of the Neurotechnology Center, Columbia University;
andJoseph LeDoux
Professor of Neural Science at New York University; Director, Emotional Brain Institute
moderated byJamie Daves
Columbia University Professor; Journalist
Theatre of Thought— The brains behind the brains
Program Description
Hear from the brains behind the brains of Werner Herzog's THEATRE OF THOUGHT.
Presented At
Film Forum New York, NY
Film Synopsis
Werner Herzog shows off his fascination with the human brain in his latest documentary.
Werner Herzog sets his sights on yet another mysterious landscape — the human brain — for clues as to why a hunk of tissue can produce profound thoughts and feelings while considering the philosophical, ethical, and social implications of fast-advancing neural technology.
About the Speaker
Rafael Yuste, M.D., Ph.D, is a neuroscientist at Columbia University, where he is Professor of Biological Sciences and Director of the Neurotechnology Center. Yuste and his laboratory pioneered the development of many imaging techniques in neuroscience. He led the researchers who proposed the US BRAIN Initiative and the International BRAIN Initiative. He also led the “Morningside” consortium, which proposed novel human rights (“Neurorights”) to protect brain activity and brain data.
Joseph LeDoux is a Professor of Neural Science at New York University, where he also directs the Emotional Brain Institute. His work is focused on the brain mechanisms of emotion, memory, and consciousness. LeDoux is an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and is the author of several books, including The Emotional Brain, Synaptic Self, Anxious, The Deep History of Ourselves, and The Four Realms of Existence. LeDoux is also the lead singer and songwriter in the rock band, The Amygdaloids, and a musical, Map of Your Mind, based on his songs.
Claudia Dreifus a lecturer, a Columbia University professor and a journalist who does interviews and general reporting on science and health. Her interviews have appeared in the New York Review of Books, Quanta Magazine, and The New York Times (she was the first reporter to, in 1992, bring the Q and A format to The Times). Over the years, she has contributed interviews and articles to The New York Times Sunday Magazine, The Atlantic, the Chronicle of Higher Education, Columbia Magazine, Smithsonian, Newsweek and AARP-The Magazine. Her sixth book, a collaboration with the political scientist, Andrew Hacker, was a critical look at our nation's colleges and universities and was one of the most widely reviewed non-fiction works of 2010. She also consults with organizations and educational institutions, organizing one day workshops aimed at improving science communication.