Information:

http://www.heffter.org/

http://www.btci.org/bioethics/default.html

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9th Annual International Bioethics Forum

Taking the Measure of the Magic Mirror:
Toward a Science of Consciousness
April 22-23, 2010
Madison, WI


COORDINATORS:

BioPharmaceutical Technology Center Institute (BTC Institute)
Promega Corporation

OVERVIEW: What do you think about when you think about thinking, about experiencing? What is consciousness?

Guided by leaders in their fields, including philosophy, physics, botany, neurochemistry, and contemplative practice, this year’s program is designed to allow participants to explore many dimensions of this fascinating - and elusive – topic:

• What can we learn from thinkers of the past - how did they frame perception and reality?

• Is quantum theory relevant to the study of consciousness?

• What are entheogens and what has been their impact on human cultures and institutions?

• How have altered states of consciousness influenced human history, culture and institutions?

• Can consciousness be defined by brain chemistry, and, if so, how?

• What are we learning about health and well being from research efforts and clinical studies that examine the neural basis of altered states of consciousness?

• What are the roles of mindfulness and meditation in the exploration and evolution of consciousness?

Sound intriguing? Join us for two unique days of in-depth discussion of significant philosophical and scientific approaches to “Taking the Measure of the Magic Mirror.”


CONFIRMED PRESENTERS::

Roland Griffiths, Ph.D. (Professor of Behavioral Biology, Department of Neuroscience, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine)

Charles S. Grob, M.D. (Chief, Child Psychiatry; Professor, Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California - Los Angeles)

Sean Kelly, Ph.D. (Professor, Philosophy, Cosmology, and Consciousness, California Institute of Integral Studies)

William Linton (Chairman & CEO, Promega Corporation)

Dennis McKenna, Ph.D. (Assistant Professor, Center for Spirituality and Healing, University of Minnesota)

Michael Kometer, M.S. (Doctoral Candidate & Researcher, Neural Basis of Research Group, University of Zurich)

Antoine Lutz, Ph.D. (Associate Scientist, Waisman Laboratory for Brain Imaging and Behavior, University of Wisconsin - Madison)

David E. Nichols, Ph.D. (Robert C. and Charlotte P. Anderson Distinguished Chair, Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Purdue University)

Peter Russell (Fellow, Institute of Noetic Sciences, The World Business Academy and The Findhorn Foundation)

Franz X. Vollenweider, M.D. (Professor, University Hospital of Psychiatry; Director, Neuropsychopharmacology and Brain Imaging & Heffter Research Center Zurich)

Got a buddy in Madison. I'll see if he can help us out.

If we can come up with something to give to the presenters, my friend can relay it and represent our efforts to them. I may even be able to make it over there, myself. We need to represent the aspects of this group that will appeal to them and possibly gain support on that basis.

I make an excellent Key Lime Pie.

...That's my default thing to give to people, in gratitude, in exchange for services, etc.

More about what YOU would give them?

The transhumanist aspects of the entheogenic community would likely be the most appealing to these types of scientists. What we can propose is that the hobbyist approach can potentially uncover a broader scope of information regarding these topics by a synthesis of researcher and test-subject and by decentralized collaborative and independent research. Hobbyist research and development is an emerging field of sorts, and how better to demonstrate the transhumanist potential of these substances than to look at what's already being accomplished toward that end? What's needed is for the hobbyists to direct research by pushing the envelop and for the official research to validate or invalidate it or to traverse areas of research not available to the hobbyist.

NEW BIOETHICS FORUM VIDEOS

Important Note: All videos are complete and have a duration of approximately 1 hour.

Check them out @ http://www.btci.org/bioethics/videos/default.html