The Brain's Moral Compass: Investigating Obedience and Resistance through Field Research with Prof. Emilie Caspar

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Can neuroscience shed light on why some individuals choose to obey harmful orders while others risk their lives to save others? In this SciLux episode Prof. Emilie Caspar at Ghent University shares her groundbreaking field research in Rwanda and Cambodia, exploring the mechanisms of obedience and resistance during genocides.

Throughout the episode, Emilie talks about her experiences of gaining trust within communities, working with NGOs, and the logistical hurdles of transporting EEG equipment to remote locations – all while making the case for the importance of field study. We also talk about the impact of empathy, sense of agency and the feeling of guilt, as well as the influence of group dynamics.

Guest: Prof. Emilie Caspar, Ghent University

USEFUL LINKS

Emilie Caspar's blog: https://emiliecaspar.home.blog/

Emilie's book 'Just Following Orders': https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/just-following-orders/678F06FDADFE89B9155F3A4907AB5660

Milgram experiment: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milgram_experiment

More about Rwandan genocide in Jean Hatzfeld's book 'Machete Season': https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machete_Season

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