Lectures on Tap - "Neuroscientist Explains:The Modules of the Mind"

Professors, experts, and storytellers giving thought-provoking lectures in Boston bars. 📍 Location: Exact address given in confirmation email 🧠 Lecture: Neuroscientist Explains: The Modules of the Mind 🎤 Speaker: Michael Cohen We tend to think of the brain as a general-purpose, endlessly adaptable supercomputer. In reality, it’s far stranger and more fascinating. The brain isn’t one big machine at all, but a collection of quirky specialists—distinct modules, each with its own narrow job and responsibilities. When one of these specialists goes offline due to stroke, accident, or disease, the results can be startling. Some people can no longer recognize faces, even their own. Others lose the ability to feel fear while every other emotion remains intact. Some can’t understand other people’s intentions, while others see their moral compass and personal values radically change. In this engaging talk, neuroscientist Michael Cohen will guide you on a tour of these hidden specialists in your head: the modules that let you recognize a smile, feel empathy, and navigate the social world. By the end, you’ll gain a clearer picture not only of how your brain is organized, but of the fundamental structures that shape your own mind. Michael Cohen is a Professor of Neuroscience and Psychology at Amherst College and a Research Scientist at MIT. Get a drink, connect, and learn at Lectures on Tap! 🙌 Agenda 6:30 PM – Doors open: find a seat (open seating!), order food & drinks, and expect a bar line—arriving early is key. 6:55 PM – Host introduction 7:00 PM – Lecture begins 7:45 PM – Audience Q&A 8:00 PM – Have 1:1 time with the speaker, mingle with fellow guests, and order another round 8:30 PM – Wrap up.