Tijs Goldschmidt
(Amsterdam, NL 1953) is an evolutionary biologist and a writer. In his essays he presents himself as the missing link between the arts and the sciences. Again and again he places science in a broader cultural framework. In his collections of essays Vis in Bad (Fish in the Bath, 2014) and Kloten van de engel (Angels' Balls; 2007) he shows that culture is often much more natural than we think. In september 2016 a collection of his essays, The Other Left Side will be published by Seven Stories Press in New York. After graduation Goldschmidt left for Tanzania for five years to study cichlids (Percidae) in Lake Victoria. That study resulted in a Ph.D. thesis and a book combining his scientific findings with personal experiences: Darwin's Dreampond (1994). This debut was translated in English, French, German, Japanese and Chinese, among others. In 1993 Goldschmidt decided to give up his academic career to become a fulltime writer. In 2007 he delivered the Huizinga Lecture in Leiden entitled Pretending to pretend. Since 2009, Tijs Goldschmidt is advisor to the State Academy of Fine Arts in Amsterdam.
Past events
Wintercafé 4: You don't know what you see
Psychologist and writer Katinka van der Kooij and evolutionary biologist and writer Tijs Goldschmidt on the question: can be survive without manipulation? With readings from their own work. In Dutch.
In search of the independent mind - part 3
The evening closes with a discussion between all the participants of the search for the independent mind. Michaël Zeeman chairs the discussion. Dutch spoken.
In search of the independent mind - part 2
Visual artist Marlene Dumas, biologist Tijs Goldschmidt and composer Theo Loevendie discuss the (im)possibility of autonomous creation. Michaël Zeeman chairs the discussion. Dutch spoken.
