Harvard Gazette's Interview on Steven Pinker

What could be more interesting than how the mind works?

   In this edition of the"Harvard Gazette: Experience" section, Harvard Staff Writer, Colleen Walsh, interviewed Steven Pinker, a Johnstone Family Professor in the Department of Psychology at Harvard University.  Walsh was able to further understand Pinker's views on the development of the human mind through the chronology of his life.

   Starting from his early life, Steven Pinker described growing up in a time in which the world was drastically changing.  In order to adapt to this new world, his father, who achieved a law degree and his mother,a degree in counseling, encouraged him to use his strengths to further his intellectual growth.  Experiencing the '60s, Pinker was in the midst of activism, the decision to be a Marxist or an Anarchist.  These sparked his interest in radical thinking, at first he believed that "human beings are naturally generous and cooperative and peaceful."  However, over time his observations saw that if given the chance man would cause disruption.

   Later on in his career, Pinker used his interests in "human nature from different vantage points," and applied it to visual cognition and language.  After writing a thesis on the ability to visualize objects through ones eyes, he noticed that his work on language acquisition was more distinctive in the field of psychology, ultimately changing his focus to language.

  Currently he is a professor at Harvard University and writing to spark the interest of potential psychologists.  His basis for anyone interested in psychology is that; psychology is slowly uncovering the "why?' that people have been question for numerous years.  Understanding these "whys" allows anyone to become more intellectually interesting.

   The interview concludes with him stating how he and anyone, could be and do anything that they believe they can do.  Then he finishes by revealing that his immaturity and humor through his hair, is what makes him who he is.