Neuropolitical Scientist Dr. Liya Yu on Why We Dehumanize, the Battle Over Cognitive Reality, Nietzsche, and a New Social Contract for the 21st Century
Neuropolitical scientist, writer, and artist Dr. Liya Yu interweaves her life's work in science, art, and activism into a unified vision she calls "Gesamtkunstbefreiung" - a holistic approach to liberation in creating a new embodied language and philosophy through which we humanize ourselves.
Key Insights: Bridging Mind and Societies
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Dr. Yu’s life work of converging neuroscience, political philosophy, and artistic expression offers a novel paradigm for addressing societal fractures, challenging traditional approaches to polarization and dehumanization.
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In an era of information warfare, understanding the neurological basis of our "cognitive reality" becomes paramount, as it fundamentally shapes our political discourse and social fabric.
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The cultivation of mentalization—a cognitive skill akin to empathy—emerges as a critical tool for bridging ideological chasms and fostering a more cohesive global society.
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The navigation of complex, multicultural identities serves as a microcosm for global dynamics, offering profound insights into the challenges and opportunities of our interconnected world.
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Artistic endeavors and safe spaces for philosophical discourse provide a unique lens through which to examine the human condition, serving as both a mirror and a catalyst for societal introspection.
Neuropolitical scientist, writer, and artist Dr. Liya Yu is as unique as her expertise. Born in Hunan, China, and raised in Germany, her story is one of bridging cultures from an early age. She was trained in political science, specializing in political philosophy at the University of Cambridge, and completed an interdisciplinary Ph.D. in political neuroscience at Columbia University, focusing on racial exclusion and dehumanization. Currently, she's a visiting researcher at the Institute of Medical Psychology at Ludwig-Maximilians University Munich and the Department of Political Science at National Taiwan University.
Dr. Yu's expertise extends beyond the halls of academia. She’s the author of "Vulnerable Minds: The Neuropolitics of Divided Societies" and a respected voice on anti-Asian racism, political neuroscience, and democratization in East Asia.
What truly sets Dr. Yu apart is how she interweaves science, art, and activism into a unified vision she calls "Gesamtkunstbefreiung" - a holistic approach to liberation in creating a new embodied language and philosophy through which we humanize ourselves. Besides being a researcher and writer, she’s also an artist and lead singer of a doom metal band, Neuropathik.
Our conversation begin with Dr. Yu’s experience attending the protest earlier this May in Taipei, exploring what it meant to chant alongside thousands in front of Taiwan’s parliament. This sets the stage for a border discussion about Asia countries with authoritarian histories and collective trans-generational trauma.
From there, we dive into her views on the turning points of social movements, the superpower of mentalizing, and why we're currently locked in a battle over the cognitive reality that feeds on dehumanization and polarization. We also delve into the existential and ideological crisis facing youth today and how Dr. Yu's neuropolitical theory offers a new path to self-humanization.
In the later half, through a more philosophical lens, we circled around the recent campus tensions simmering at Columbia, Taiwan’s unique identity challenges, and Dr. Yu’s journey of liberation in making sense of her conflicted identity growing up in between cultures.
In the end, we touch on her artistic side of performing in a doom metal band and how she aims to communicate art reflecting her authentic self. Throughout, we grapple with Nietzsche’s philosophy of confronting our human predicaments, humanness, and the desire for the zest of life.
Original Portrait by Kay Lam.
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