Professor George Ellis - How Can Physics Underlie the Mind? Top-Down Causation in the Human Context

Professor George Ellis FRS Introduced by Prof. Alister McGrath Followed by a panel discussion with Prof. Ard Louis and Prof. Denis Noble Mathematical Institute, Oxford _______________________________________________ Physics underlies all complexity, including our own existence. But how is this possible? How can our own lives emerge from interactions of electrons, protons, and neutrons? In his new book, How Can Physics Underlie the Mind?, Prof George Ellis considers the interaction of physical and non-physical causation in complex systems such as living beings, and in particular in the human brain, relating this to the emergence of higher levels of complexity with real causal powers. In particular it explores the idea of top-down causation, which is the key effect allowing the emergence of true complexity and also enables the causal efficacy of non-physical entities, including the value of money, social conventions, and ethical choices. GEORGE ELLIS, FRS, is one of the world’s leading res