As we traveled the world investigating what makes us human, we always were sure to ask our interviewees just what they think the human spark is. While there was plenty of overlap, there were also a lot of different ideas put forward. And people tended to approach the question differently depending on what their own fields of expertise were.
Alan Alda recently chatted with Steven Pinker in his office in the Psychology Department at Harvard University. Much of Pinker’s research has focused on language – and not surprisingly language is central to his conception of what makes us human.
Watch this video clip to learn more about three big things Pinker thinks set us apart from other animals.
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5 Responses to “Spark Blog: Video – Dr. Steven Pinker: Language Makes Us Human”
Gotta love Pinker – he’s a natural teacher, and clearly enjoys making difficult, complex topics enjoyable and comprehensible.
[...] “Dr. Steven Pinker: Language Makes Us Human” (Please note this link will open a new page or tab and take you to a separate location on the Human Spark website. This clip is NOT downloadable.) [...]
thank you nice sharing has been very useful
Dr. Steven Pinker seems to show up in my internet browsings with surprising regularity these days.
He’s obviously smart as a a whip and I like the way he says language, co-operation and tool are mutually dependent.
On the other hand the list of tools he uses are revealing to say the least.
What’s so good about poison; weapons; traps as opposed to shelter; storage containers; lamps; cooking pots and clothes?
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