Event overview
Anomalistic Psychology Research Unit Invited Speaker Series
Abstract
Some scholars have argued (against the trend) that for a period in Greek history the gods appeared as vividly real persons and not merely personifications of abstract ideas. This is not to say that they were really, truly, objectively, out there in the real world, but, nevertheless, they went well beyond products of the modern imagination, even to the extent of possessing an autonomous influence in shaping mortal minds and behaviour. In Charles Boer’s terms, the gods were neither “real” nor purely “imagined” but, rather, figures of a third realm of “imaginal reality”.
With the Greek gods as a backdrop, I will examine the conventional partition of “real” and “imagined” and show that in certain altered states of consciousness, as experienced in aware sleep paralysis, for example, and psychosis, the partition breaks down. In conclusion, I will consider the general implications for an understanding of modern Western notions of selfhood and consciousness.
Biography
Paul Broks is a neuropsychologist-turned-writer. He pursued a career combining clinical and academic work and gained recognition as a writer with his first book Into the Silent Land (Atlantic Books, 2003), which mixed neurological case stories, fiction and memoir in an extended meditation on selfhood and the brain. Paul has written for theatre, radio and film, and his journalistic output includes columns for The Times and Prospect magazine. He wrote and presented several episodes in the major BBC Radio 4 series, A History of Ideas (2014/15) and his own series on neurology and selfhood, Dr. Broks’s Casebook, was broadcast in June 2016. Paul’s next book, Night Thoughts (working title), is scheduled for publication by Penguin in 2017.
Anomalistic Psychology Research Unit Invited Speaker Series
Dates & times
| Date | Time | Add to calendar |
|---|---|---|
| 29 Nov 2016 | 6:00pm - 7:30pm |
Accessibility
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