Talks and lively discussions with Sarah-Jayne Blakemore and Paul Bloom

“Why are many teenagers self-conscious, why do they take risks and sometimes rebel?”

“Does empathy encourage people to make irrational, and possibly harmful, moral decisions?”

Thought-provoking questions like these, raised by renowned researchers Sarah-Jayne Blakemore, a cognitive neuroscientist, and Paul Bloom, a psychologist, have the potential to reach a wide audience and give rise to animated discussions. Bridging the gap between researchers and individuals working daily to promote young people’s development is part of BOLD’s mission; this is why we place importance on facilitating exchanges both on and offline.

“Becoming Human – Conversations about Empathy and the Social Brain” was the first public event in Zurich, Switzerland jointly organized by the arts and debate center KOSMOS and the Jacobs Foundation. The short talks given by Sarah-Jayne Blakemore and Paul Bloom were followed by a lively debate with moderator Olivia Kühni and an audience of more than 150 people.

The event, which was held on Sunday, June 16, 2019, was broadcast live and is now also available here (see video above).

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Get Sarah-Jayne Blakemore’s latest book, “Inventing Ourselves”, here.

Get Paul Bloom’s latest book, “Against Empathy”, here.