Love in a Hostile Environment: Thoughts on the young adult, the couple
and society in the world we live in

A day with Phil Stokoe and Mary Morgan

A big thank you to Mark Solms and Toby Walsh for a terrifically compelling set of presentations at this years conference.

Broadcast: Fri 24 May 2019, 11:00am

Jon Faine interviews Mark Solmes and Toby Walsh on
The Conversation Hour, a day before they present at
The Freud Conference.

You can listen to it here:

https://www.abc.net.au/radio/melbourne/programs/theconversationhour/the-conversation-hour/11125724

note: Mark Solmes and Toby Walsh interview starts at 25:45 on this podcast . Click on the download link and scroll to 25:45

Mark Solms and Toby Walsh and their recent book publications:

Neuropsychoanalysis is the fastest growing area within psychoanalysis and it provides a bridge between psychoanalysis and the neurological sciences. This book provides an accessible introduction to the field through a selection of papers by one of its leading figures. It includes papers on the theoretical and philosophical foundations of neuropsychoanalysis, scientific papers on the brain mechanisms of dreaming and consciousness, the application of neuropsychoanalysis in psychiatry and neurology, and clinical case studies.

There are few other human inventions that are likely to have as large an impact on our lives as machines that can think . . . The steam engine liberated our muscles. The computer is set to liberate our minds.

The development of thinking machines is an adventure as bold and ambitious as any that humans have attempted. And the truth is that Artificial Intelligence is already an indispensable part of our daily lives. Without it, Google wouldn’t find out whatever you need to know. Your smartphone would be . . . just a phone. In countless ways AI has made the world what it is today.

But where will AI technologies take us in the future? We know they will continue to change society, but how? Will AI destroy our jobs? Could it even pose an existential threat? What should we be doing now to prepare for the future?

In this new book, Toby Walsh provides a fascinating survey of Artificial Intelligence for the general reader: where it came from, the state of the art today, and where it will take us tomorrow. His ten predictions of what AI will have achieved by 2050 will surprise you! Walsh discusses how AI will transform our societies, our economies and even ourselves, and what we can do about this.

‘A compelling invitation to imagine the future we want’ —BRIAN CHRISTIAN, author of The Most Human Human

By 2062 we will have built machines as intelligent as us – so the leading artificial intelligence and robotics experts predict. But what will this future look like? 

In 2062, world-leading researcher Toby Walsh considers the impact AI will have on work, war, economics, politics, everyday life and even death. Will automation take away most jobs? Will robots become conscious and take over? Will we become immortal machines ourselves, uploading our brains to the cloud? How will politics adjust to the post-truth, post-privacy digitised world? When we have succeeded in building intelligent machines, how will life on this planet unfold?

Based on a deep understanding of technology, 2062 describes the choices we need to make today to ensure that the future remains bright.

‘Clarity and sanity in a world full of fog and uncertainty – a timely book about the race to remain human.’
—RICHARD WATSON, author of Digital Vs. Human and futurist-in-residence at Imperial College, London

Readings Bookstall will be at the conference.

Exploring the relationship between Consciousness,
Emotions and Artificial Intelligence

8.30 – 18.00 Saturday 25th May
The Melbourne Brain Centre
Kenneth Myer Building
30 Royal Parade, Parkville

a day with Professor Mark Solms
and Professor Toby Walsh

SESSIONS:
MARK SOLMS
WHAT IS CONCIOUSNESS?
Dr. Solms will review the major changes taking place in our understanding of the brain mechanisms of consciousness. These views revolve mainly around the role of the cortex vs the brainstem and the role of cognition vs emotion. Consciousness was mainly regarded as a cortical function but now there is an increasing realisation that ‘feeling’ plays a central role in all consciousness.
The implications of these issues for psychoanalysis and psychiatry will be considered.

MAKING A MIND
Continuing from the previous session, Dr. Solms will address the question,
“Is it now possible to make artificial minds?”
This, then, begs the question, “What Do We Mean By Mind?”.
He will argue that a mind needs more than intelligence. It requires consciousness.
He will discuss his recent work in this area and consider the implications for the question “What Is Consciousness?”.

Publications
Book Review of The Unconscious At Work. (Routledge) Ed. Anton Obholtzer and Vega Zagier Roberts, in British Psychoanalytical Society Bulletin 1995

Book Review of Who Cares? True Stories of the NHS Reforms. By Dr. Peter Bruggen. London, Jon Carpenter Publishing; 1997; Psychoanalytical Psychotherapy

Review of Conference: The Jung-Freud Study Day; Can we have Creative Intercourse? Jungian and Freudian Perspectives on the Oedipus Myth and Beyond – A Clinical Discussion for the Bulletins of the British Psychoanalytical Society and the Society of Analytical Psychology.

Book Review of The Clinical Thinking of Wilfred Bion. By Joan and Neville Symington. London and New York; Routledge; 1996; pp 198. for Psychoanalytical Psychotherapy.

Stokoe, P (2000): Holding the Boundaries, Chapter 4 in S. Brookes & P. Hodson (Eds), The Invisible Matrix, Rebus Press.

Stokoe, P (2003): Group Thinking, Chapter 6 in K. Kasinski, J. Pooley, A. Ward, & A. Worthington (Eds), Therapeutic Communities for Children & Young People,.

Stokoe, P (2010): The Theory and Practice of the Group Relations Conference, Chapter 9 in The Groups Book, Psychoanalytic Group Therapy: Principles and Practice, C. Garland (Ed), Karnac Books.

Stokoe, P (2011): The Healthy and the Unhealthy Organisation: how can we help teams to remain effective? Chapter 13 in A. Rubitel & D. Reiss (Ed), Containment in the Community: Frameworks for Thinking about Antisocial Behaviour and Mental Health, Karnac Books.

Stokoe, P (2013): James Fisher (1937-2012) An Appreciation. In: Couple and Family Psychoanalysis Vol 3 No. 1, pp 120-127.

Stokoe, P (2013): Review of Richard III at Tobacco Factory, Bristol. In: Couple and Family Psychoanalysis Vol 3 No. 2, pp 263-266.

Morgan, M & Stokoe, P (2014): Curiosity. In: Couple and Family Psychoanalysis 4(1) 42–55

Stokoe, P (2015): Ethics and Complaints Procedures for Psychoanalytic Organisations: Some Thoughts About Principles. In: Couple & Family Psychoanalysis 5(2) 188–204

Videos and Podcasts
Surviving Work Conversation about the Healthy Organisation Model with Elizabeth Cotton and Angela Eden (Oct 2015)
https://vimeo.com/142278539

The Impact of Power on the Mind of the Politician for Resonance FM (Dec 2015):
https://m.mixcloud.com/Resonance/frontier-psychoanalyst-pilot-11-december-2015/

The Fundamentalist State of Mind for Resonance FM (Jan 2016):
https://m.mixcloud.com/Resonance/frontier-psychoanalyst-11th-january-2016/

BPAS video of the Impact of Power on the Mind of the Politician (Feb 2017):
https://vimeo.com/201135773/328f6e18f2

Where have all the Adults gone? (Nov 2017):
https://vimeo.com/245141670

(Foreword by Christine Hill)

This years conference…

….tbc

.

8.30 – 18.00 Saturday 20th May
The Melbourne Brain Centre
Kenneth Myer Building
30 Royal Parade, Parkville

EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION
cut-off date: Wednesday March 22, 2017

a day with

PROF ALESSANDRA LEMMA (via videolink)
• The Black Mirror: Body, Technology, Sexuality

DR HEATHER WOOD
• The Unconscious Allure of Internet Sex
• Paedophilia, or paedophilic breakdown?
The impetus to seek illegal images online

ANNIVERSARY LUNCH
12.30 – 4pm, Sunday 21st May, 2017
The Committee would be delighted if you, and your partners, join us to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Melbourne Freud Conference.

Venue: The Boulevard Restaurant
121 Studley Park Rd, Kew 3101
Free parking available on grounds
Cost: $90.00 per person, including drinks on arrival.

Enquiries to Gurli Hughes
g.hughes@ iinet.net.au
0405025366

If intending to come we would appreciate notification to Gurli, with payment, by EarlyBird cutoff point, 22nd March. Definite numbers are required by the Restaurant well in advance of the anniversary lunch.