Degrees of Freedom

What does it mean to be free? Why is freedom important? How does freedom in moral and political life relate to freedom in the physical world? These are ancient and constantly recurring questions. In classical Greece the philosopher Democritus claimed that freedom is preferable to slavery, even at the cost of material welfare, while 20th century existentialists argued that freedom is a burden to which we are condemned. What are we to make of the cognitive scientist's claim that our minds are simply matter in motion, or of the physicist's contention that the universe itself displays infinite degrees of freedom? How should we respond to the anthropologist's assertion that inequalities in wealth and status make some people less free than others? And what of the belief that modern technology has the potential to liberate us from all constraints on thought and action? Join six of UC San Diego's finest teachers and scholars as they explore the degrees of freedom. This series is presented by the Division of Arts & Humanities at UC San Diego. Winter 2015.

Links & Resources

Programs

Understanding and Engaging Human Imagination with Sheldon Brown -- Degrees of Freedom (5/18/2015)

Youth and Addiction: Can There Be Freedom of Will? -- Degrees of Freedom with Sandra A. Brown (5/4/2015)

It’s Complicated: The Relationship Between Freedom and Democracy, According to the Greeks with Monte Johnson -- Degrees of Freedom (4/20/2015)

Giving Freedom: How Direct Cash Transfers are Reshaping the Way We Help the Extreme Poor with Paul Niehaus -- Degrees of Freedom (4/6/2015)

Indigenous Rights in Latin America: What Kind of Freedom Do They Offer? with Nancy Postero -- Degrees of Freedom (3/23/2015)

The Physics of Free Will with Brian Keating -- Degrees of Freedom (3/9/2015)


SIGN UP FOR EMAIL UPDATES
Subscribe to receive email notifications about featured videos.

EXPLORE
LEARN MORE
CONNECT
(c)2020 Regents of the University of California. All right reserved. Terms and Conditions of Use.