The Curious Human - What Does it Mean to Be Human?

Recorded August 28, 2019. A lecture by physicist Danielle Bassett as part of the Trinity Long Room Hub 'What does it Mean to be Human in the 21st Century?' lecture series. The human mind is curious. It is strange, remarkable, and mystifying; it is eager, probing, questioning. Despite its pervasiveness and its relevance for our well-being, scientific studies of human curiosity that bridge both the organ of curiosity and the object of curiosity remain in their infancy. In this talk, I will integrate historical, philosophical, and psychological perspectives with techniques from applied mathematics and statistical physics to capture idiosyncratic forms of curiosity that span multiple millennia, cultures, languages, and timescales. In doing so, I will make a case for the position that a science of the mind must account for minds today and those of yesteryear. About Danielle Bassett Danielle Bassett is a physicist using tools from network science and complex systems theory to enhance our understanding of connectivity and organizational principles in the human brain. Combining a strong background in physics with training and collaborations in neuroscience, Bassett adapts mathematical approaches associated with the study of complex networks (such as computer or social networks) to analyze interactions among neurons in different regions of the brain while a person does certain activities (e.g., learn something new or try to remember a face), thereby unraveling how these connections give rise to the functions or jobs the brain performs. About the series What does it Mean to be Human in the 21st Century? is a new cross-disciplinary lecture series which will reflect on how we understand ourselves, the world, and our place within it. The lecture series is organised by the Trinity Long Room Hub Arts and Humanities Research Institute in partnership with The Dock, Accenture’s global research & incubation hub in Dublin. This new series will bring some prominent international academic and industry voices to Trinity to discuss the human experience of today and its future in the face of accelerated change brought about by artificial intelligence and technology. A broad ranging series of talks traversing the humanities, sciences, arts and social sciences, join us in 2019 for an unmissable snapshot of human progress; who we are, where we are, and where we’re going. Learn more at: https://www.tcd.ie/trinitylongroomhub/