FULBRIGHT LECTURE

In 1853, the German Physiologist Eduard Pflüger published the first in a series of startling experiments on living, decapitated frogs. He elicited behaviours in these compromised animals that seemed more than just reflexive - the behaviours seemed purposive. An ensuing controversy over whether these frogs could be considered genuinely conscious pitted the English polymath G.H. Lewes against T.H. Huxley. Their debate curiously intertwined empirical with a priori philosophical concerns, concerns which we will try to tease apart.

The transcript and downloadable versions of the lecture are available from the Gresham College website: http://www.gresham.ac.uk/lectures-and-events/the-curious-case-of-the-decapitated-frog

Gresham College has been giving free public lectures since 1597. This tradition continues today with all of our five or so public lectures a week being made available for free download from our website. There are currently over 2,000 lectures free to access or download from the website.

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