News

January 11, 2019

NYS Writers Institute Welcomes Author and Cognitive Neuroscientist Steven Pinker to the University at Albany

The NYS Writers Institute kicks off its new season with an appearance by cognitive neuroscientist Steven Pinker, one of the world’s most influential thinkers on the subjects of language, mind, behavior, and what it means to be human. Pinker returns to the NYS Writers Institute for a talk on 7:30 p.m. Thursday, January 24, at Page Hall, 135 Western Avenue, on the University at Albany Downtown Campus.

The event is free and open to the public.

Pinker, who previously visited the Writers Institute in 1997, will deliver the University at Albany’s 175th Anniversary Keynote Presentation. The title of the presentation is taken from his latest book: Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress (2018), a passionate argument for the enduring values of reason and science in the face of resurgent anti-intellectualism, prejudice, and magical thinking.

Bill Gates praised Enlightenment Now, saying “The world is getting better, even if it doesn’t always feel that way. I’m glad we have brilliant thinkers like Steven Pinker to help us see the big picture. Enlightenment Now is not only the best book Pinker’s ever written. It’s my new favorite book of all time.” Michael Shermer, writing for Science magazine, called it, “the most uplifting work of science I’ve ever read.”

Pinker is the Johnstone Family Professor in the Department of Psychology at Harvard University. He conducts research on language and cognition, and writes for publications such as the New York Times, Time and The Atlantic. His previous books include The Language Instinct, How the Mind Works, The Blank Slate, The Stuff of Thought, The Better Angels of Our Nature, and The Sense of Style: The Thinking Person’s Guide to Writing in the 21st Century.

 For more information, call 518-442-5620 or visit www.nyswritersinstitute.org