Free Will – Ar in a Bar

Ar in a Bar presents its second event!

Time and Place

Tuesday 2nd May, 21h until 23h30

At the cosy bar Chimera Brewpub: Rua Prior do Crato 6, Praça da Armada, Alcantara. It will open doors at 8pm so that you can buy dinner and drinks before the event. Check out their menu and pricelist here

Registration

Entrance is FREE, but make sure you register in our Eventbrite page.

Eventbrite - Love & Sex in Mind! - Ar in a Bar

Since the number of seats is limited, please only register if you are committed to coming. Thanks!


When we choose which dessert to eat, which career to go for or whether to ask another person on a date, we feel that we are in control of what we ultimately decide. But are we?

Science has shown that most of what our minds settle upon is predetermined by physiological and psychological processes of which we are often unaware. Our DNA, our upbringing, the dominant values of our times and the laws of nature; all of these influence us to an enormous degree. So is there still room for us to have a say on what we do?

How do we choose? And what are we aware of when choosing? When and why do we think we are in control of our choices? If it turns out that such control is only illusory, what would a world without free will mean?

Questions like these and many others have been discussed by philosophers and scientists for over 25 centuries, and at Ar in a Bar we will make our own attempt.

We will quickly introduce the definitions and requirements of free will as well as the reasons we have for wanting to believe in free will, and then proceed with dynamic discussions with an eclectic group from Champalimaud Research. Come join!


Ar in a Bar is one of the offshoots of the Ar family (the others being Ar Events and the online Ar Magazine). We aim to create a cosy, friendly atmosphere to have interesting discussions about many different topics in small groups. Our emphasis is on learning together, as part of a community, so we won’t have long talks by individual speakers, but instead will spend most of our time in discussions and explorations of ideas. No prior knowledge of the topic we’re discussing that day, or any scientific training, is necessary.

Why in a bar?

The students at Champalimaud Research have been performing extensive research on themselves and have concluded that beer is beneficial to thinking about science.

What is an event like?

Each evening will have a theme that we hope to explore with the people who come there. We’ll provide 2 or 3 hosts to ignite the discussion, who have been thinking about the topic for a long time. Some will be scientists working in that field, others might be practitioners or otherwise interested in the theme. They will lead various discussions about the topic.

Where are the events held?

Our events are held in the lovely Chimera Brewpub, with the best homebrewed beer in town.

How can I know about Ar in a Bar events?

Sign up to our mailing list on this page or like us on Facebook to get news about the times of all our events.


And now the more serious part…

The scientists at Champalimaud Research are seriously concerned about the current state of politics and the world, where evidence is being ignored in favour of rhetoric. This is completely against the principles of scientific research that we live by. We believe more than ever that what is desperately needed is what’s written in Ar’s mission statement: A World Moved by Creative and Critical Thinking. Ar’s various offshoots are our attempt to spread this ideal.

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