Baroness Susan Greenfield CBE raises concerns about Western society at Chabad Society Shabbat dinner

Baroness Susan Greenfield CBE raises concerns about Western society at Chabad Society Shabbat dinner

Mon, 8 June 2009

By Mark Tilse (Oxon)

Baroness Susan Greenfield, Director of the Royal Institution of Great Britain and recipient of 29 Honorary Degrees, including a non-political Life Peerage, condemned western culture while praising the Oxford University Chabad Society at a Shabbat dinner at the David Slager Chabad Jewish student centre.

She said she was very concerned about the obsessive desire of society for instant gratification reflected in addiction of children and adults to computer games, unhealthy food and material wealth.

From a neurological perspective brains of the 21st century would be numb to the idea of cause and effect, consequences and feelings, which all are not relevant in a world of the moment and instant satisfaction. She spoke on the impact of contemporary culture, particularly popular culture, upon neurological development and speculated about the possible deleterious effects of this in the future.

She believes that this deterioration is the explanation for the dramatic rise in youth violence in the UK and the unprecedented amount of people diagnosed to be suffering from attention deficit disorder.

She finished her talk by praising the Oxford University Chabad Society that offers a balance and meaning to people’s lives.

The dinner was presided over and led by Rabbi Eli Brackman, director of the Oxford University Chabad Society. Rabbi Brackman explained the importance of the mind according to Chabad philosophy. The name ‘Chabad’ stands for the Hebrew words of wisdom, understanding and knowledge, emphasizing the need to develop every aspect of the self, including the intellect and emotion, to achieve a balance in ones Jewish life and all aspects of the self to be a healthy human being.

Rabbi Brackman offered insight into the ideal of Shabbat, consistent with the Baroness’ talk. Shabbat, he said, allows the person to take a break from the instant gratification of the present, not to mention computer games, and focus on the intellect, the spiritual and inter-human relations with family and friends, which is largely denied in the modern event-driven world.

Baroness Greenfield, who is Professor of Pharmacology at the University of Oxford, is one of the most famous scientists in the UK, enhanced by her ability to communicate deep scientific ideas to the wider public. She displayed this at the Shabbat dinner when she spoke to the Chabad Society, which is made up of philosophers, historians and a host of other disciplines, including a few scientists.

The title of her talk was “quest for identity in the 21st century” and the dinner was attended by about 90 students and community, despite end-of-year exam period.