Possibilianism at PopTech

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Want to know how neuroscience will force major changes in our criminal justice system? Read David's article The Brain on Trial in The Atlantic.

Possibilianism at PopTech

I recently spoke at PopTech in Camden, Maine on the limits of science, the problems of false dichotomies, and my new movement of possibilianism:

I was blown away when Andrew Zolli, the director of PopTech, tweeted that this was "one of the best talks ever at PopTech"!

Comments

# Vitam Ce 2010-12-15 17:22

Great talk, although I don't see how possibilianism distinguishes itself from a reasonable skepticism.

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# David Eagleman 2011-05-07 17:54

They are very similar. Possibilianism is essentially reasonable skepticism with a dose of awe and an emphasis on open discussion.

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# Genie Martin 2011-06-01 21:20

Heard you on FreshAir. I broke from the conservative Presbyterians many years ago when I was told I was a heretic. It was meant to scare me. I realized I was and that choosing what to believe was the only way I could understand. Forty years later I am a Unitarian Universalist for the same reason. I have never found another label that I could embrace, until now. I really like it! So now I can be a Possibilian as well as a UU heretic. Thank you.

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# Jonathan Davis 2011-08-31 19:24

I enjoyed your TEDxHouston talk. You might be under-representing the amount of awe and open discussion felt in reasonable skeptics. Is it possible that you mean something closer to "the awe of poetic speculation" and "open discussion where ideas can be maintained and pronounced in spite of counter-evidence?" Or is it a difference in style? I don't mean that to be a backhanding; I think these are defensible positions. I just want to have a clearer notion of the distinction here.

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# Don White 2012-02-19 21:15

Professor Eagleman,

I find your talk on "Possibilianism" fascinating. I find that having an open mind about the workings of the outer universe and inner universe very intriguing. I was first introduced to you by my college professor Cheryl Pawluk PhD. She teaches a wonderful class in psychology 101. I am currently taking this class for pre-requisites into the nursing field. Now I want to take it further. Psychology and the exploration of the mind has been something of a lifelong pursuit for me. I am going to pursue this diligently.

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# MataHari 2011-02-09 06:06

I have changed my Facebook religion to "possibilian".

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# Jack Davis 2011-08-06 04:16

I'm doing that too. This guy's persuasive.

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# J M Peters 2011-05-08 18:46

I have definitly been a possibilian since couple of years. it comes natural if you think logical with a realistic humblness. Also I see the difference to Scepticism, because the emphasis is on the possibilities and the curiosity about that and the sceptic doesnt neccesarily have that. I am studying physiotherapy and thus am very interested in your work since the moving of the body has so much to do with the brain etc... and the more we understand motor learning of the brain the more effecient we will be in helping people.
are you also interested in exploring that ?

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# Mauri shuler 2011-06-01 15:41

You have identified my religion!

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# Phil 2011-06-08 06:27

Dude, you seem smart (and buff) I'm neither, but you give me something to emulate. Thanks! Good talk too.

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# Ocean 2011-06-25 15:39

David,

I just watched your video and I had recently read the article by Burkhard Bilger in the New Yorker (April/11).

I wrote an article in a forum that I participate in, and I was wondering whether you agree with my description of possibilianism.

Here's the link to that post, it isn't too long: http://bloggingheads.tv/forum/showpost.php?p=214133&postcount=1

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# jennifer from sydney 2011-07-09 02:13

ITS POSSIBLE!!!!! great presentation :)

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# Jenny 2011-07-13 05:29

I have often mused on the points you made on uncertainty but have yet to put them in such a cogent manner. As we learn more and more about what we do not know, humility becomes an increasingly important. If indeed a God-like creative force was responsible for creating our world and universe, how can we ever fathom what his intentions were, what he wants from us, why even create this universe in the first place, let alone what he looks like? This is why I find existing religions utterly unsatisfying. On the other hand, the susceptibility of the human mind to believe in Something/anything is also very fascinating!

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# Jen 2011-07-23 03:49

You have converted me from neo-atheism to possibilian. I love it.

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# NaturesChild 2011-07-27 14:45

Fantastic talk! Keep the mind open & active to any possibilty. Learning never ends... Focus on science & reason instead of the supernatural & man-created dogmas.

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# Hassan Yusuf 2011-08-04 01:13

The ultra deep field experiment blows my hair right back. I was a determined atheist triumphalist till I saw this. I went from Islam to atheism to possibilianism. Thanks for expanding the frontiers of my consciousness. I also enjoyed your foray into fiction David. Your slender book on the afterlife makes for gripping reading. Is that also another expression of possibilianism? Fascinating.

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# Milton Demaray 2011-08-18 20:42

One thing we can be sure of: Science can prove a theory wrong, but never prove one correct. This means that any "theory of everything" is tentative, waiting to be discredited.

Joseph Campbell says that religious texts should be read for their connotation, not their denotation. At best, they serve as an invitation to contemplate the transcendental. "God remains unsullied by any toung."

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