Steven Pinker - Cognitive Science Conference Keynote

Harvard University Cognitive Scientist Steven Pinker will deliver the keynote address entitled, "The Humanities and the Human Mind." His lecture is a prelude to the conference, "Story, Metaphor, Vision: Cognitive Science and the Humanities." This conference will explore the intersection of cognitive science and the humanities and the connections between general biological accounts of cognition and specific cultural and historical manifestations. Another aim is to examine the many ways the world is depicted in relation to knowledge about the nature of the brain.

Pinker is currently the Johnstone Family Professor of Psychology at Harvard University. He has also held posts at MIT and Stanford. He conducts research on language and cognition and is the author of six books, including "The Language Instinct," "How the Mind Works," "Words and Rules," and "The Blank Slate."

The conference continues on Thursday, Nov. 11 and Friday, Nov. 12 with the following speakers: David Freedberg, Mark Johnson, Margaret Livingstone, V.S. Ramachandran, Brian Rotman, Elaine Scarry, Eve Sweetser, Mark Turner, and Semir Zeki. These sessions will take place at the Humanities Center, 424 Santa Teresa Street, Stanford, CA.