Phantomology: from soul to brain. Medieval Studies meets Neuroscience.

Описание: Speakers:
Alastair Minnis, Douglas Tracy Smith Professor Emeritus at Yale.
Peter Brugger, Emeritus Professor of Behavioral Neurology at the University of Zurich.

Autumn term 2022 York Medieval Lecture (18 October 2022)

This joint lecture investigates what the speakers are calling 'phantomology', ranging from medieval theology to modern neuroscience. Alastair Minnis explains how St Augustine and some successors argued for the existence of a body-in-the-soul, as revealed in out-of-body experiences (OBEs). Some thinkers believed that this explained how, after death, people could continue to experience pain (in hell and purgatory) or pleasure (in heaven). Peter Brugger proceeds to delineate stages of modern 'soul research', defining phantomology as the science of the body-in-the-brain, i.e. of a representation of corporeality as manifesting in phantom limbs, phantom doubles, and 'phantom vision' in OBEs. Neuroimaging studies is also considered, but clinical observations are emphasized. In this way, Medieval Studies is put in a creative conversation with contemporary neuroscience and clinical practice.

We apologize for the lack of captions on this video. There was an issue with the caption recording.

Sponsored by the Centre for Medieval Studies (York), Fordham Center for Medieval Studies, Henry Pirenne Institute of Medieval Studies (Ghent), Centre for Medieval Literature (York and Odense) and Universidade Santiago de Compostela.

About the speakers
Alastair Minnis is the Douglas Tracy Smith Professor Emeritus of English at Yale University, holds honorary professorships from the universities of York and St Andrews, and is an Honorary Member of the Royal Irish Academy

Peter Brugger, PhD, is professor emeritus of behavioral neurology and neuropsychiatry at Zurich University. He is head of the Neuropsychology Unit of one of the leading Swiss Rehabilitation Centers, the Clinic Valens