Debat: Zijn wij ons brein?

GRAY CELLS: ARE WE OUR BRAIN?

Excellent scientists on brain research, determinism and free will

How free is our free will? Isn't our will actually controlled by unconscious brain processes? So do we already make choices in our brain before we become aware of them? And if that is the case, can a criminal still be responsible for his actions? Our society is focused on taking personal responsibility, especially when it comes to criminal behavior. What influence does brain research have on these types of fundamental values? Is how we behave today (falling in love, fighting, eating, ...) the expression of the genes that our distant ancestors passed along? And vice versa: to what extent can we control our brain processes with technology? What are the promises of brain stimulation in the fight against depression, epilepsy, hearing and vision loss? Excellent scientists Paul Boon, head of neurology at Ghent University Hospital and the Dutch doctor & brain researcher Dick Swaab will discuss each other, led by Reinout Verbeke > of Eos.

Paul Boon is head of neurology at Ghent University Hospital and director of the Institute for Neuroscience at Ghent University. He conducts research into epilepsy, sleep disorders and brain imaging. He also conducts studies into the mechanism of deep brain stimulation in the fight against epilepsy, Parkinson's and depression.

Dick Swaab is a Dutch doctor and brain researcher. He was professor of neurobiology at the University of Amsterdam and director of the Netherlands Institute for Brain Research for thirty years. He writes for a wide range of newspapers and magazines: from Nature to NRC Handelsblad. Swaab is the author of the book 'We are our Brain. From womb to Alzeimer'.