Free Will – So You Think You Can Choose

Link to tickets: https://vspa.nl/product/free-will-so-you-think-you-can-choose/

Do you think that we are really free to choose our actions? Or is there something that inevitably determines them?

If you ever asked yourself these questions, the annual VSPA conference “Free will: so you think you can choose?” is here to tease your brain!

Our excellent speakers will offer you answers to these questions and to many more, such as:

– Is free will an illusion when we look at human neurophysiology?

– Should we hold criminals accountable in court if their free will is compromised by biological changes?

– Does advising, persuading, blaming and praising even have a point if we deny free will?

Interested in knowing more? Check the details below!

When? 14th April 2022, from 15:00 to 20:30

Where? Lecture hall A1, Building A, Roeterseiland Campus

Bonus: You will gain 2 colloquium points!

COLLOQUIUM POINTS

2 colloquium points will be awarded for attendance to all three lectures.

1 colloquium point will be awarded for attendance to only one or two lectures.

Attendance will be registered through a form at the end of each lecture.

PARTIAL ATTENDANCE

You are welcome to take part in only one or two lectures, however, the ticket price for the event will remain the same. The number of colloquium points awarded will also differ based on the number of lectures you plan to attend (see above).

Plan of the day 

15.15 – 17:00

Dr. Emilie Caspar, Ghent University.

How Can Humans Commit Atrocities When They Follow Orders? A Social Neuroscience Perspective of the Obedient Brain.

 

In this talk, I will explore the question of how humans can commit atrocities when they follow orders. I will present recent studies in social and cognitive neurosciences, which showed how obeying orders impacts the sense of agency and empathy for pain. We will also review some studies involving military staff and inmates to understand how working or living in an environment that reduces personal autonomy impacts the sense of agency, even when one is free to decide which actions to execute.

17.15 – 19.15

Mr. dr. Johannes Bijlsma, Utrecht University.

Free will and the insanity defense in criminal law: the Bart van U.-case

Criminal responsibility presumably requires that an offender acted out of his/her free will. We do not want to punish offenders who could not have acted otherwise. It is assumed that in certain cases a mental disorder causes an offender to commit an offence not out of free will. In such a case, a defendant is acquitted by reason of insanity. In the (in)famous Dutch criminal case against Bart van U. – who killed a former health minister and his own sister while he was psychotic – the question of the criminal responsibility of the offender was at stake. Using this case as an illustration, the relation between the insanity defense and freedom of the will will be explored. Is freedom of the will in fact a requirement for criminal responsibility? Is it because a lack of freedom to act otherwise that we do not hold certain mentally ill offenders responsible, or is it because of other reasons? Can a philosophically contested issue like freedom of the will provide a guideline for a judge to assess criminal responsibilty? Are forensic mental health experts able to “measure” the degree of free will with which a mentally ill offender acted?”

19.30 – 20.30

Dr. Sebo Uithol, Leiden University.

Free will and where our actions come from

The question of free will is an ancient one, and the answer options are well-known: determinism, libertarianism, and compatibilism. Yet, the first seems undesirable, the second unlikely, and the third problematic. The problem is our intuitions about where our actions come from. In this talk I will discuss theoretical and empirical work that shows that our folk psychological model in which intentions cause actions is unlikely to hold on the level of neural processes. Rather, our action decisions emerge from a causal web that spans multiple brain regions, and even includes the body and the environment. Appreciating the distributed and dynamic origins of action decisions may push us towards a form of compatibilism.

Amsterdam Canal Tour & Quiz

Enjoy a two-hour boat tour on Amsterdam’s most beautiful canals, with drinks and snacks included on board! Make sure to bring your friends for a group quiz and spotting game, although there will be plenty of time to sit back and chat as well.

You’ll find our tour boat at 17:00 near REC at the Theatre Carre, which is also going to be our drop-off point at the end of the trip.

Date: March 22nd
Time: 17:00-19:00

Link to tickets on the calendar and on the App

Festival: AMS Unlocked

BIG FESTIVAL COMING UP

Do you want take part in the biggest/greatest study associations event, ever in the history of UvA?

Save the date for the 8th of June 2022

Where will it be? Thuishaven

What to expect? A house/techno event with 2 stages and a lot of other students from different study associations.

Buy your ticket here: https://events.flextickets.nl/event/ams-unlocked-vspa

For more info visit this website

 

Friday Afternoon Borrel

The VSPA is finally organising the first FAB of this year!!????????

FAB = F riday A fternoon B orrel.
At this borrel, you will be able to socialise both with your fellow students and all the faculty staff. This is the time to chat with your favourite teachers and get to know them a bit better! We’ll be serving snacks, beers, soft drinks and our specialty cocktail of the months for very cheap prices right here at Roeterseiland. It is a great opportunity to take a study-break and socialize with your friends and professors right here on campus!
Time: 17:00
Date: 18th of March
Location: ground floor of G building
Don’t forget to check out the Instagram of the VSPA soon to see the review of the cocktail!????????

Sport Event: Lasertag

Ready for Lasertag!!

Hello to all sport lovers out there, we have a special event for you… Lasertag YAY!! We look forward to seeing you on the 23rd at ALOHA where we will be waiting to have fun and relieve some stress with a friendly game of lasertag.

There will be two rounds of 10 vs 10 so don’t forget to sign up ASAP

The price of a ticket is only 6.58€!!!

Remember: first come, first serve!!!!

Location: ALOHA

Time: 17:00-18:00

Reminder: identification and a valid QR code are required.

Beerathon

CANCELLED FOR WEATHER CONDITIONS

The Beerathon will be an event in which we go on a walking tour through Amsterdam spots, every spot has an activity prepared for example a drinking game or some other fun game. Beer is of course included!

When: 18th of February 2-4

Where: All around Amsterdam!

Ticket Link on our calendar

Borrel: Meme and VSPApp

Did you miss us?
Back by popular demand with an in-person borrel (finally, might we add).
Do memes live in your head rent-free and is the idea of free alcohol one of the few things keeping you going?
Might as well join us at the Heeren van Aemstel on February 17th for our Meme themed borrel!
Embrace the shitposter within and dress up to win a prize!
Need we say more? No, but we will: waiting for you you’ll find welcome shots (first come first serve) and one 1€ beer if you download the new VSPA app! Hungry? There are also pizza deals as Heeren van Aemstel has a collaboration with the Italian restaurant next door.Pizzadeal:
Pizza + 2 beer €17,50
Pizza + Pitcher beer €28,50

Pizza’s:
Margherita, Funghi, Salame, Prosciutto, Peperoni, Capricciosa, Hawaii, Tonno, Gorgonzola, Mozzarella, Vegetariana, Quattro Stagioni, Quattro Formaggi

See you there!

Location: Thorbeckeplein 5
Starting time: 18:00
Reminder: Physical Identification and a valid QR code are required.

Experience Your Future Day

This Experience Your Future Day, you can attend workshops and lectures from experts in the field. You can learn what it’s like to work in the research and private sectors. You can master important professional skills which will help you build a stellar resume and recognize your strengths and interests. What’s more? you can also gain two colloquium points by joining this event! Come join us and experience your future and gain important insights from the pundits!

Date and Time: 16th Feb, 11:00-16:00

Where: Zoom

Ticket link on our calendar!

Let’s talk about sex

An excursion to Theater de Omval where we will watch a biographical film following the life of the psychologist who pioneered sexology.

When: 15th of February, 19:00

 

Tickets link on our calendar!

Hot Politics: Affective Responses to Politics and Their Consequences for Persuasion

It is often claimed that politics is deeply emotional, and increasingly so. Politicians seem to make more, and more extreme, emotional appeals than ever before. Citizens are angered about politics, or anxious about political developments. Sometimes they are deeply enthusiastic and hopeful about political candidates or political change. Still there are many questions about the role of emotions in politics. How fundamental are they? When do they emerge? And are there differences between people in the emotions they experience? This talk will discuss the role of both more conscious and more unconscious instantiations of emotions and report results from innovative laboratory in the field experiments conducted throughout the Netherlands and in the United States. The results of these studies will highlight the complex role of emotions in politics and how they help us understand political persuasion and polarization.

When: 9th February 2022; 15.00-17.00

Where: Zoom

Ticket Link on our Calendar