Lectures on Tap - Psychologist Explains: The Evolutionary Need to Feel Free

Join us for an engaging evening where professors, experts, and storytellers bring their thought-provoking lectures to your favorite bar in Downtown Berkeley!

Hosted by the Lectures on Tap team.

🗓️ Date: November 17th, 2025

🕡 Time: 6:30 PM

📍 Location: Downtown Berkeley (exact address given in confirmation email)

📚 Lecture: “Autonomy, Authority, & the Evolutionary Need to Feel Free”

🎤 Speaker: Professor, Dr. Benjamin D. Rosenberg

In this intriguing talk, Dr. Benjamin D. Rosenberg will explore the evolutionary and philosophical roots of autonomy and freedom, particularly how individuals react when their autonomy is restricted or removed.

Focusing on various scenarios—whether it involves governmental authority, healthcare practitioners, or interpersonal relationships—Dr. Rosenberg will outline the psychological and motivational processes that emerge when freedom is compromised. He will discuss the practical implications of autonomy threats and share strategies that organizations can employ to minimize these experiences.

Dr. Rosenberg is an Associate Professor and Co-Chair of the Psychology Department at Dominican University of California. With a strong background in social-health psychology, he has published widely on motivation, persuasion, and autonomy, contributing insights to numerous peer-reviewed journals and public outlets like The Guardian and National Public Radio.

Don’t miss this opportunity to understand the critical dynamics of autonomy and how they affect our daily lives!

Get a drink, connect, and learn at Lectures on Tap! 🙌

Agenda

6:30 PM – Doors open: find a seat (open seating!), order food & drinks, and expect a bar line—arriving early is key.

6:55 PM – Host introduction

7:00 PM – Lecture begins

7:45 PM – Audience Q&A

8:00 PM – Have 1:1 time with the speaker, mingle with fellow guests, and order another round

8:30 PM – Wrap up.

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