Torsten Wiesel: New instrumentation. Both new instrumentation and new conceptual questions perhaps asked. Sometimes you ask questions now that you didn’t ask earlier because there were no way of getting an answer.
What are these questions?
Torsten Wiesel: For example to ask the question that I said before that we want to understand the neuro basis of perception. That question wasn’t asked 50 years ago as a realistic scientific issue, but today it is realistic to try to actually have an experimental programme that tries to address that question so that’s the difference. And I think, you know, there are some people who feel that now it’s the right time also to understand not only neuro base of perception but also the higher issue of consciousness in general because in order to have perception you have to be conscious otherwise you don’t perceive. So those two are obviously linked very much.
So if you want to address a question of consciousness, then perhaps you have to do it in a context of a specific issue, like vision where you have a perception. You can when we know more perhaps about the sensory part of the brain in vision than in the other part of the brain because there has been a lot of interest, a lot of people have studied the various stages of the vision system both in psychophysics and in the laboratories, anatomy, physiology, chemistry etc. So there’s a lot of knowledge here, so I think the next decades in the future you are going to see more and a better understanding of the perception and consciousness related to that.
Yes, there is this question, for example, when I see this flower and I see the red colour here, I recognise the colour here, I call it red. How can I be sure that the red colour that you see is the same that the one that I see? Do you think that neurophysiology can answer such questions?
Torsten Wiesel: Yes, of course it’s been known for a long time that colour vision varies between individuals because it depends very much on the visual pigment you have in your eye.
So maybe your red is my green, for example?
Torsten Wiesel: Most people have, not so much, but we have the cones; we have red, we have blue and we have green cones and they have their own spectre of sensitivity. Most people have very similar spectres and sensitivity of their cones but there are variations. So some in the red cone and maybe a slight difference in the peak sensitivity of the red cone, somebody else may have it in blue. So there may be slight variation, but then there are mutations. There are people who actually have no red cones or blue cones or green cones, so they have specific colour defects and it can be dangerous if you’re in the traffic and you know the red light and you don’t see red light and you have to know that the red is on top and the green is below.
So I think one has to assume that in most cases our perception of colour in this bouquet of flowers is probably similar, even if maybe somebody else would have a clear difference. I have a painter friend actually who had a deficit in his colour, his vision and his paintings reflected that. His colour scheme was kind of strange and some people found it very interesting but, you know, that was based on the fact that he saw the colours different from you and me perhaps.
Yes, perhaps. But there still is this problem of conscio
中央研究院 Academia Sinica
李遠哲前院長獲美國國家科學院（National Academy of Sciences）表彰：
捍衛人權的科學家 美國國家科學院表示，李遠哲無論是在國際或臺灣的領導職位中，皆增進了科學與人權之間聯繫，並致力於強化科學以造福社會。他在擔任中研院院長期間（1994-2006），協助使「國際科學院與學術社群的人權網路（International Human Rights Network of Academies and Scholarly Societies）」更加健全，並在全球的科學自由面臨威脅時，確保中研院參與其中。
李遠哲表示：「人與人的基本權利彼此相連，無論在公民、政治、經濟、社會及文化皆是如此。」 透過向全球倡議，李遠哲強調遵守人權的原則以對抗氣候變遷。他指出，人為的氣候變遷，已影響了處於邊緣的族群，因此，人類應面對此一全球的挑戰，以確保世界更加公平和民主。
此外，李遠哲也積極推動各項基本權利的落實。在2011年至2014年擔任國際科學理事會（ICSU）主席時，他支持言論自由、結社自由及各項科學實踐不可或缺的權利，並長期幫助解決科學領域的歧視問題，讓科學家的責任備受重視。
美國國家科學院人權委員會表示，許多獲得諾貝爾獎的科學家，在其個人及職業生涯中，也為實現人權做出重大貢獻。本次展覽為表彰他們盡力提倡《世界人權宣言》和國際人權公約所保障的權利。
#中研院 #李遠哲 #人權 #科學家 #諾貝爾獎 #美國國家科學院
了解細節： https://www.sinica.edu.tw/ch/news/6511
推進權利與自由 — 科學與自由─科學、人性尊嚴及諾貝爾獎展覽 http://www.cpnas.org/exhibitions/current-exhibitions/advancing-rights-and-freedoms.html
__________
本次選出的10位諾獎得主名單 
臺灣化學家，李遠哲 英國生物化學及分子生物學家，Richard J. Roberts 剛果醫師，Denis Mukwege 義大利神經生物學家，Rita Levi-Montalcini 美國分子生物學家，Peter Agre 法國病毒學家，Françoise Barré-Sinoussi 蘇聯原子物理學家，Andrei Sakharov 印度經濟學家，Amariya Sen 肯亞社會運動者，Wangari Maathai 英國化學家，Harold Kroto 瑞典神經科學家，Torsten Wiesel __________
Former Academia Sinica President Yuan Tseh Lee has won acclaim from the United States National Academy of Sciences for his renowned contributions towards human rights, in addition to his scientific achievements. In recognition of his efforts, the National Academy of Sciences has chosen Dr. Lee as one of ten Nobel Prize awardees to be included in the exhibition “Advancing Rights and Freedoms: Science, Human Dignity, and the Nobel Prize” for their efforts in enhancing human rights. The exhibition, which begins in March, features the awardees’ human rights contributions and photographic portraits, in order to raise public attention on the issues of science and human rights.
With his dedication to improving science and strengthening the ties between science and human rights, Dr. Lee has been included in this exhibition for his preeminent role both internationally and in Taiwan. During his service as President of Academia Sinica from 1994 to 2006, Dr. Lee helped promote the International Human Rights Network of Academies and Scholarly Societies, and ensured the participation of Academia Sinica when the world’s scientific freedom was under threat.
The exhibition will take place from March 11 to June 1 at the National Academy of Sciences. http://www.cpnas.org/exhibitions/current-exhibitions/advancing-rights-and-freedoms.html
#AcademiaSinica
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