What does science tell us about consciousness? What light does scientific research shed on our understanding of the human capacity for attention and perception? And how has philosophy helped us make sense of scientific findings about our ability to experience and feel?

The Center for Inquiry-New York City and New York City Skeptics presented a Darwin Day forum featuring NYU philosopher Ned Block, and Jacqueline Gottlieb, neuroscientist at Columbia University.

The speakers made presentations about their respective philosophical and scientific approaches to consciousness, then sat down for a question-and-answer session with Massimo Pigliucci, chair of the philosophy department at Lehman College.

Ned Block works in philosophy of mind, metaphysics and foundations of cognitive science. Jacqueline Gottlieb focuses on the neural mechanisms of attention, learning and decision making. Her work is based on trying to understand how the brain generates intelligent behavior and in particular, how it learns, reasons and makes adaptive decisions.