«Political Rhetoric, Explained - Steven Pinker»

«Compete video at: http://fora.tv/2008/09/12/Steven_Pinker_The_Stuff_of_Thought

»Psychologist Steven Pinker explains why political rhetoric often tends to be vague, empty, and bland.

»One of the principal researchers on language and cognition, Steven Pinker turns his focus to what our language says about us. He explores the sometimes comic, sometimes tragic ways our mind works, using language as a clue.

»Why do we impose taboos on certain topics, like sex? Why do we go to great lengths to bribe or convince?

»What do our swear words (and their syntax) say about us? How do our minds handle the large amount of information targeted at us each day? - The Commonwealth Club of California.

»Steven Pinker is a prominent Canadian-American experimental psychologist, cognitive scientist and popular science writer known for his wide-ranging advocacy of evolutionary psychology and the computational theory of mind.Pinker is also a Harvard College Professor and Johnstone Family Professor in the Department of Psychology at Harvard University. Until 2003, he taught in the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences at MIT.»