On September 13, Professor Kim Hak Jin (Psychology) gave a lecture The Neuroscientific View on Morals and Ethics. This seminar was held at the Building of Liberal Arts at 4:00 P.M, and many students from psychology and philosophy majors attended.

▲ Photographed by Lee Hye Soo. Kim Hak Jin (Psychology) giving an open lecture to students and faculty members about neuroscience and altruism.

The lecture was mainly about how people make decisions based on their cognition and brain. Professor Kim especially focused on two parts of the brain: the amygdala and the nucleus accumbens. These two structures are not only vital to living but also to making decisions. For example, the structure amygdala is responsible for the fear and other emotions that people feel. Therefore, if a person was to make a decision about whether to trust a person or to make an investment in stocks, this part of the brain would be stimulated.

Nucleum accumbens is a structure that is located in the prefrontal cortex. The prefrontal cortex is the part of the brain that distinguishes humans from other animals in that it processes deep thoughts about values and morals. The nucleus accumbens is also associated with the feeling of pleasure as it relates to a neurotransmitter in our brain called dopamine. In regards to making a decision, Professor Kim illustrated an experiment by which it was discovered that when people saw a specific brand product they liked, the nucleus accumbens became stimulated, regardless of how expensive it is.

▲ Photographed by Lee Hye Soo. Kim Hak Jin (Psychology) giving an open lecture to students and faculty members about neuroscience and altruism.

Although the majority of the audience were other professors from Philosophy, there were couple of students who also attended the lecture. Na Hong Yoon (’12, Sociology) said, “Although I am not majoring either in Psychology or Philosophy, I thought that the lecture was easy to understand. Also, I was not aware of the brain’s activation when we were making decisions so I think it was very interesting.” Because Professor Kim explained the material easily to the audience, this lecture provided the perfect opportunity for newcomers to understand the workings of the brain.