Guest Speaker, Steven Pinker

Steven Pinker asks the big questions about human progress—and sets out, in public, to answer them. In 2018’s Enlightenment Now, Pinker argues that, despite the headlines, the world is getting better, not worse.

In optimistic keynotes, full of sharp wit, common sense, and dazzling argumentation, Pinker makes the case for reason, science, and humanism. These Enlightenment ideals, in the face of tribalism, authoritarianism, and other modern dangers to democracy, are worth celebrating—and protecting.

Pinker is the Johnstone Family Professor in the Department of Psychology at Harvard University. He grew up in Montreal and earned his BA from McGill and his PhD from Harvard. In addition to his current position at Harvard, he has also taught at Stanford and MIT.