How much of what we do is by choice, what philosophers and theologians call “free will”? And how much can be attributed to the unconscious workings of our brains? Can brain scans, such as functional MRIs, show what is happening in the brain? Can they predict violent criminal behavior - and if so, should they be admissible in legal proceedings? In advance of a symposium on the topic next weekend at MU, we invited a few experts to help explain how advanced study of the brain intersects with our humanity.

Panelists:
Phil Robbins, University of Missouri associate professor of philosophy and co-chair of the Life Sciences and Society Symposium planning committee
Ines Segert, University of Missouri professor of psychology
Jim Fallon, professor of anatomy and neurobiology, University of California-Irvine (joining by phone)

Related links:
Life Sciences and Society Symposium website
NPR story about Jim Fallon’s discovery of his own psychopathic potential
Overview brain imaging and purposes, as explained by the University of Pennsylvania
CNN article about research by Adrian Raine (mentioned multiple times during the Intersection conversation)

In collaboration with the Columbia Missourian, we follow up on the newspaper's three-month investigative report on the Columbia Regency Mobile Home Park with a public conversation about what can be done to ensure all levels of housing are safe, clean and up to code. Along with what panelists say, we also hear from several former residents of Columbia Regency who called in to share their experiences.

Panelists:
* Bill Cantin, neighborhood response coordinator, Columbia Office of Neighborhood Services
* Brad Racino, Columbia Missourian reporter
* Phil Steinhaus, CEO, Columbia Housing Authority

FIRST HALF HOUR: Nine months into Bob McDavid's term as mayor of Columbia, he shares his thoughts and ideas on the year ahead, including criteria for selecting a new city manager and his views on the role of the mayor in promoting economic development.
SECOND HALF HOUR: We discuss last-minute efforts to halt the execution of Richard Clay and how this case fits into the larger context of the death penalty in Missouri and in America.
UPDATE: Shortly after this program was recorded, Governor Jay Nixon announced that he had commuted Richard Clay's sentence to life in prison without possibility of parole.

Panelists:
Bob McDavid, mayor of Columbia (first half of program)
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Jeff Stack, coordinator, Mid-Missouri Fellowship of Reconciliation
Kiefer Clay, son of Richard Clay (by phone)

Panelists:
Edward Berg, attorney, and one of the original members of Coalition to Control Tasers
Dwayne Carey, Boone County sheriff