Scope
In order to scientifically address significant issues such as climate change, which puts into question our very survival as a species, the current pandemic with its massive physical, socio-economical, and psychological consequences, and the rise of AI which challenges our established economic structures, we need to ask insightful questions: What is truly human? How can humans develop further? The answers to these questions are necessary not only to find new solutions to the current challenges, but also to shape new visions of what can come next.
Neuroscientific research linking brain functions has produced a perspective on human development that includes normal, impaired, and enhanced neurophysiological, emotional and cognitive functioning. Human development has been considered the very aim of education and of educative processes. Indeed, the capabilities built through educational training are included in the UN’s human development index, according to which such capabilities are the ultimate criteria to assess the development of a country, rather than economic growth alone. Yet a full understanding of what Human Development truly constitutes, remains open. For example, tackling the question of what distinguishes human beings from other animals, and what humans’ possible development trajectory might look like, calls for a multidisciplinary approach. Consequently, contributions to such an inquiry might come from very different scientific fields, ranging from cognitive neuroscience to socioeconomics. For instance, in the field of neuroscience, self-awareness—the most specific characteristic of human beings—has been investigated in connection with its neural correlates. Recent research points to self-awareness as the particular ability of our species, directly connecting it to our abstract thinking which in turn enables envisioning new possible futures and self-development
To achieve a broad, multidisciplinary perspective on possible human development, subjects will be considered through varied— yet related—approaches. We will provide a complex yet consistent framework through which we will explore a substantial amount and variety of theories and case studies. Our ultimate goal will be to produce useful indications for policy making in diverse contexts, assist teachers and parents with child development in an optimal way, and enhance theoretical and practical knowledge.
keywords
Neuroscientific Research Brain Functions Human Development UN’s Human Development Index Self-Awareness Self-development