The Brain and the Law

A public lecture in the Distinguished Scholars Series

David Eagleman, PhD

Assistant Professor of Neuroscience

Director, Laboratory for Perception and Action

Director, Initiative on Neuroscience and Law

Baylor College of Medicine

Houston, Texas

Emerging questions at the interface of law and neuroscience challenge

notions at the heart of our criminal justice system. Are all brains really

created equal? Is mass incarceration the most fruitful method to deal with

juveniles, people with mental illness, and those addicted to drugs? Can novel

technologies such as real-time brain imaging be leveraged for new methods

of rehabilitation? Dr. Eagleman will discuss these issues and others, such

as why the legal system will eventually be forced to shift its emphasis from

blameworthiness to a forward-thinking analysis of future behavior.

A public reception will precede this event in the VTC Café at 5:00 p.m.