[SydPhil] Notification: Maureen O'Malley @ Thu 21 Sep 2017 09:00 - 10:00 (Current Projects)

[Google Calendar]

This is a notification for:

Title: Maureen O'Malley
Do microbes control human minds? A critical survey of the literature

Microbiome research has had considerable success in analysing the molecular  
composition of microbial communities in the human body. Analyses of the gut  
microbiome in particular have found many associations between microbiota  
composition and human health or disease states. A recent focus has been on  
the connections between gut microbiota and human behavioural states. Links  
have been made repeatedly between microbiota composition and host disorders  
such as anorexia, autism, anxiety and depression. Microbiota even appear to  
have effects on general cognition and memory, both positive and negative.  
Some strong interpretations have been made of these findings, including  
claims that microbiota control behaviour in the same way puppeteers control  
puppets, or that microbiome findings are the final nail in the coffin of  
ideas about free will. I’ll discuss these claims in light of several broad  
problems in microbiome research, to do with causality, normality, and our  
evolutionary relationships with our microbes. I have presented my views on  
these issues to scientists, but not to philosophers. What I’m hoping for is  
feedback about how to develop my analysis of this field for a more  
philosophical audience.
When: Thu 21 Sep 2017 09:00 – 10:00 Eastern Time - Melbourne, Sydney
Where: The Muniment Room, Main Quad
Calendar: Current Projects
Who:
     * Kristie Miller- creator

Event details:  
https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/6eKdBDs7YgY7hb?domain=google.com

Invitation from Google Calendar: https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/NX12BDUYd2dYhY?domain=google.com

You are receiving this email at the account sydphil at arts.usyd.edu.au  
because you are subscribed for notifications on calendar Current Projects.

To stop receiving these emails, please log in to  
https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/NX12BDUYd2dYhY?domain=google.com and change your notification settings for  
this calendar.

Forwarding this invitation could allow any recipient to modify your RSVP  
response. Learn more at  
https://protect-au.mimecast.com/s/bZ89Bmu42W24u2?domain=support.google.com
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://mailman.sydney.edu.au/pipermail/sydphil/attachments/20170914/e7e616c6/attachment.html>