Science News

President Leon Botstein of Bard College steps boldly into the fray to answer one of the most enduring human questions: What is art? This discussion spills over into debates about art's value to society ---- whether access to the arts is right as basic as education or health care, and whether it should be assessed and supported by government or left to the "invisible hand" of the free market. President Botstein explains why it is essential to ask these questions and offers a sturdy basis for evaluating them. He goes so far as to suggest that engaging with art can give our lives meaning and purpose.

Steven Pinker - Psychologist, Cognitive Scientist, and Linguist at Harvard University

How did humans acquire language? In this lecture, best-selling author Steven Pinker introduces you to linguistics, the evolution of spoken language, and the debate over the existence of an innate universal grammar. He also explores why language is such a fundamental part of social relationships, human biology, and human evolution. Finally, Pinker touches on the wide variety of applications for linguistics, from improving how we teach reading and writing to how we interpret law, politics, and literature.