“Being Human 2012” Announces KQED as Media Partner for March 24 Event

Nov. 21, 2011 - PRLog -- Being Human 2012: Science, Philosophy and Your Life announced today a media partnership with KQED for the March 24, 2012, Being Human gathering at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco.

Being Human 2012 will bring together pioneers in science and philosophy to explore in a public forum exciting new insights on the nature of human experience. World-class speakers who will guide this interactive exploration include, among others, best-selling author and neuroscientist David Eagleman, psychologist and pioneer in the study of emotions Paul Ekman, and prize-winning international poet Jane Hirshfield.

Through this partnership, KQED members are eligible to attend Being Human 2012 at special discounted rates. In addition, Being Human 2012 is donating a number of event tickets for KQED to offer during its membership drive in January.

“We are thrilled to welcome KQED as media partner,” said Peter Baumann, founder of San Francisco-based think tank The Baumann Foundation and creator of the Being Human initiative. “KQED has a distinguished record of providing engaging and thought-provoking programs to the public. Similarly, our aim is to bring into the public arena fresh new insights from science and philosophy that will continue to transform our understanding and experience of being human. We are delighted to reach a wide audience through KQED’s partnership and to support KQED members’ access to our exciting program.”

Being Human 2012 will take place from 9:00am - 5:30pm at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco. Areas of inquiry include: How does the nonconscious mind influence the decisions we make? What is the relationship between self and culture? Are you who you think you are, or is that just an illusion? What does science tell us about our relationship with fellow humans? Is humanity still evolving?

Register at http://www.beinghuman2012.org

Speakers:
Richard J. Davidson, Ph.D., Founder and Chair, Center for Investigating Healthy Minds, Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison

David Eagleman, Ph.D., Neuroscientist, Professor of Neuroscience and Psychiatry, Baylor College of Medicine, and best-selling author

Paul Ekman, Ph.D., Manager, Paul Ekman Group, LLC

Anne Harrington, Ph.D., Professor of the History of Science, Harvard University

Jane Hirshfield, Prize-winning International Poet, Translator, and Essayist

Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D., Professor of Medicine, Emeritus, University of Massachusetts Medical School

Beau Lotto, Ph.D., Neuroscientist and artist, Lottolab

Hazel Markus, Ph.D., Davis-Brack Professor in the Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University

Thomas Metzinger, Ph.D., Professor of Theoretical Philosophy, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz

V.S. Ramachandran, M.D., Ph.D., Director, Center for Brain and Cognition, UC San Diego

Gelek Rimpoche, Founder, Jewel Heart, Tibetan Buddhist Center

Laurie Santos, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Psychology, Yale University


About Being Human 2012

Being Human 2012: Science, Philosophy & Your Life (http://www.BeingHuman2012.org) is a multidisciplinary gathering of pioneers in fields exploring the nature of human experience and consciousness with the purpose of bringing recent discoveries and insights into the realm of public conversation, ultimately to foster understanding and greater well-being. Being Human 2012 is an initiative of San Francisco-based think tank The Baumann Foundation (http://www.TheBaumannFoundation.org), and reflects founder Peter Baumann’s interest and inquiry: “Conscious experience is compromised because of identification with mental self-concepts. Comprehending the nature of mental concepts and the dynamics of identification can foster greater clarity about the human condition and individual experience.” The Foundation is focused on the exploration of subjects such as perception, cognitive biases, mental representation, mindfulness, attention, dynamics of self-identification and how these relate to and inform conscious experience.

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Being Human 2012 is the first annual Symposium where leading scientists and philosophers present scientific and philosophical insights that are reshaping our understanding of human nature and our experience of daily life. March 24, 2012, San Francisco.