Program Friday, May 30th
Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC)
Burumazaal, Hippocratespad 21, te Leiden
Trein: Station Leiden via de achteruitgang (niet-stadszijde) verlaten. Langs de hoofdingang van het LUMC lopen. Bij de hoek van het gebouw ziet u een bolvormige gouden uitbouw. Daaronder is de ingang van de Burumazaal.
Auto: Parkeergarage LUMC. Achter de parkeergarage ziet u een gebouw met een bolvormige gouden uitbouw. Daaronder is de ingang van de Burumazaal.

Omnipresent mind:
Science and Philosophy
Morning: scientific approaches
Afternoon: philosophical reflections
Chair: Prof. dr. Hans Gerding

9:30h Prof. mag. arch. ing. dr. h.c. Peter Schmid (TU Eindhoven)
Opening by the Chairman of the Board of the Curators of the Proklos Foundation

9:40h Prof. dr. Hans Gerding (Leiden University)
Science, philosophy and anomalous phenomena
Wondrous or anomalous phenomena have always been connected with a philosophy of life, but are disputed within the scientific community. What happens when the scientific method is directed towards these 'impossible phenomena' that transcend the limits of time and space? What does this mean philosophically and why is this important? An introduction to the conference theme.

10:15h Dr. Stefan Schmidt (Universitäts Klinikum, Freiburg)
Extrasensory communication: is there an unknown connection?
Direct mental interaction stands for a special experimental paradigm in which one participant tries to interact with another participant without the use of any of known sensory channels. The results of these experiments will be summarized and models for the interpretation of the data will be presented.

10:45h Prof. dr. Dick J. Bierman (University of Amsterdam, University for Humanistics)
Retrocausality of time-independent correlations; presentiment as a challenge to our view of time
Someone 'feels' that an accident is about to happen but has no idea what. This phenomenon has been studied in the laboratory under tight conditions where the 'feeling' is operationalized by a physiological variable. The results suggest that 'effects' might precede 'causes' apparently challenging our view of causality.

11:15h Coffee break

11:45h Dr. Niko Kohls (University of Northampton)
Lack of spiritual practice: an underestimated risk factor for distress?
Spirituality has been identified as important for overall wellbeing. Scientific findings suggest that the experiential side of spirituality and the associated spiritual or contemplative practice may act as a buffer against deconstructive experiences.

12:15h Reflections on notes from the audience: forum of speakers.
Panel Chairman: Prof. dr. Hans Gerding

12:45h Lunch break

14:00h Dr. Rupert Sheldrake (England)
The extended mind
Recent experimental results show that people can influence others at a distance just by looking at them. Not only our attention but our intentions can have effects at a distance. Our minds seem to be extended in time as well as space, and we may all draw upon collective memories through the process of morphic resonance.

15:00h Tea break

15:30h Prof. dr. P. Krishna (India)
Mind, truth and learning
Prof. dr. P. Krishna is a well known speaker on theosophical subjects. He is a Fellow of the Indian Academy of Sciences and other scientific bodies. He was Professor and later head of the department of Physics in the Benares Hindu University and Rector fo Rajghat Education Centre, Varanasi of the Krishnamurti Foundation, India.

16:30h Dr. Rupert Sheldrake (England) and prof. dr. Bas Haring (Leiden University)
A dialogue

17:30h Closing