April 10: Steven Pinker, or what Roger Daltrey would have looked like if he had decided to be the world's foremost popularizer of cognitive psychology

One of the world's leading cognitive scientists and tireless public intellectuals, Steven Pinker, comes to Butler University.

When: Monday April 10 7:30 PM

Where: Butler University Reilly Room in Atherton Union Hall

Professor of Psychology at Harvard University, Dr. Pinker writes about human nature and the development of the human mind, trying to understand the roles of genetics and environment in making us who we are. He will talk about his latest book, The Blank Slate, which was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. Pinker is a presence explaining much more than only cognitive psychology. The mind, of course, permeates every aspect of human life and society, and Pinker effectively uses the public platform this provides. This will be an event worth making the time to attend.

I had been tempted to write that "Steven Pinker will be bringing his hair to Butler University" ... the second thing people notive when they meet Steve is that he is really, really smart. The first thing is that he has the hair of a 1970s rock god. It turns out that this not uncommon in the world of science. Check out the Luxuriant Flowing Hair Club for Scientists™,
by the standards of his peers Pinker really is quite restrained and modest in his Absolam-like locks.

[This cartoon is wrong]

For more on science and society:

• Feb. 7: Join the ACLU for a discussion of “Intelligent Design in Science Class?”
• Feb. 8: Listen to astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson on “The Cosmic Perspective”
• March 4: Attend a conference on “The Realms of Science and Faith” at IUPUI
• March 4: Attend a Darwin Day Conference at IUPUI

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