Daniel Dennett, a distinguished philosopher and leading proponent of the computational model of the mind, will give a public talk at the University of Colorado at Boulder on Monday, March 18.
Dennett, who will be on campus March 18-19 as a guest of the World Affairs Athenaeum, will speak at 3 p.m. in Old Main Chapel about "Darwin's Dangerous Idea." The event is free and open to the public.
Dennett, who has clashed with other philosophers on the topic of consciousness, argues that everything humans think and do can be attributed to the urge to pass on individual genes, or natural selection. The artificial intelligence community has also taken a particular interest in his work.
A professor of philosophy and director of the Center for Cognitive Studies at Tufts University, Dennett has published more than 100 articles and several books including "Darwin's Dangerous Idea," "Consciousness Explained," and "Kinds of Minds."
The Athenaeum also is sponsoring a student dinner with Dennett on March 19 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. The dinner is only open to CU-Boulder students, and space is limited so interested students should contact the Athenaeum fellows to make reservations. Dennett will discuss "Explaining the Magic of Consciousness" during the dinner.
The Athenaeum, a program in which students meet with world-renowned guests and discuss world affairs, is an offshoot of the CU-Boulder Conference on World Affairs.
Past Athenaeum visitors to CU-Boulder include Gary Hart, Margot Adler, Dr. Patch Adams, Werner Herzog and Susan Faludi.
For more information about the public lecture call (303) 492-7252, or to make reservations for the student dinner e-mail the Athenaeum fellows at cwaathen@colorado.edu.