Marcus du Sautoy, the Simonyi Professor for the Public Understanding of Science at the University of Oxford, will chair the annual Charles Simonyi Lecture on November 1 and present his play, The Axiom of Choice, on November 11 and 12.
The Charles Simonyi Lecture series, established by Simonyi Professor Richard Dawkins in 1999, serves as a platform to bridge the gap between science and art.
This year’s speaker is Anil Seth, professor of cognitive and computational neuroscience and director of the Centre for Consciousness Science at the University of Sussex.
Mr Seth’s lecture will focus on consciousness in humans and other entities.
He will delve into how conscious experiences stem from our brains and bodies, and question the concept of ‘self’.
By exploring the idea of the brain as an embodied ‘prediction machine’, he will shed light on these theories.
He will also look at the potential link between consciousness and life, and discuss the implications of this perspective for technology, particularly artificial intelligence, and for society in terms of perceptual diversity.
Mr Seth, in addition to his roles at the University of Sussex, is the co-director of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research Program on Brain, Mind, and Consciousness.
He has been frequently recognised as one of the top 0.1 per cent of researchers worldwide.
His two TED talks have amassed more than 16 million views, and in 2023 he was awarded the Royal Society Michael Faraday Prize.
Following the lecture, Mr du Sautoy will stage his new play, The Axiom of Choice.
The Axiom of Choice will be staged on November 11 and 12 (Image: Oxford Playhouse) Written and directed by the Simonyi Professor with co-direction by Lu Descourtier, the play explores the themes of free will, war, and mathematics.
The narrative follows eminent mathematician Andre Weil on a journey from France to India, Finland, and beyond, as he seeks to uncover whether we truly have free will or if our choices are pre-determined.
Set during World War Two, Weil is imprisoned in Rouen and faces a choice that will determine his fate.
However, his decision defies logic, raising questions about whether life is a mathematical theorem composed of logical strands.
The production is supported by Dangor Education, the Stage One Bursary Scheme for New Producers, and the Charles and Lisa Simonyi Fund for Arts and Sciences.
The play is produced by Claire Gilbert, with movement direction from Shane Shambhu.
Tickets for The Annual Charles Simonyi Lecture: Consciousness in Humans and Other Things are priced at £10, while tickets for The Axiom of Choice start at £14.