The Political Brain
Book ticketsOrganised by:
Association Of Jungian Analysts
Description
Jung once mused that “if there is any analogy between psychic and physiological processes, the organizing system of the brain must lie subcortically on the brain stem…(and) might somehow reflect characteristics of the archetypal form of unconscious.” Recent social neuroscience has done much to link psychology with neuroscience. Drawing on his new book The Politics Brain, Professor Matt Qvortrup will outline recent research and show how philosophy and neuroscience come together. Recalling especially Plato’s psychology, and Kant’s concept of ‘Unsocial Sociability’ he will outline how we are neurologically hard-wired to listen and learn by discussion, but how we also have a part of the brain that threatens to disrupt sociability. He will provide examples from politics, including the US election.
Professor Matt Qvortrup studied neuroscience before earning a doctorate in political science at Oxford. A pioneer of the political applications of social neuroscience he is the author of The Political Brain (CEU Press 2024). In addition to his scholarly work, Professor Qvortrup has also presented BBC programs on politics and brain science. From 2016-2024 he was editor of European Political Science Review, and he writes a regular column for the magazine Philosophy Now.
