Do the languages we speak shape the way we think? For example, how do we think about time? The word “time” is the most frequent noun in the English language. Time is ubiquitous yet ephemeral. It forms the very fabric of our experience, and yet it is unperceivable: we cannot see, touch, or smell time. How do our minds create this fundamental aspect of experience? Do patterns in language and culture influence how we think about time?
Do languages merely express thoughts, or do the structures in languages (without our knowledge or consent) shape the very thoughts we wish to express? Can learning new ways to talk change how you think? Is there intrinsic value in human linguistic diversity? Join us as Stanford cognitive scientist Lera Boroditsky re-invigorates this long standing debate with data from experiments done around the world, from China, to Indonesia, Israel, and Aboriginal Australia.
“How Language Shapes Thought” was given on October 26, 02010 as part of Long Now’s Seminar series. The series was started in 02003 to build a compelling body of ideas about long-term thinking from some of the world’s leading thinkers. The Seminars take place in San Francisco and are curated and hosted by Stewart Brand. To follow the talks, you can:
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Deep in Siberia’s permafrost, scientists have revived “zombie viruses” that have been frozen for tens of thousands of years — and headlines warn they could spark the next pandemic. In this episode of Howtown, we investigate the real science behind these ancient microbes: what’s actually being found in the Arctic, how giant viruses like Pithovirus sibericum survive for millennia, and whether thawing permafrost could ever release a pathogen capable of infecting humans. From mammoth carcasses to anthrax outbreaks to the relatively recent discovery of enormous amoeba-infecting viruses, this video breaks down the five steps any ancient microbe would need to start a pandemic — and why the truth is more fascinating than frightening.
Chapters:
00:00 what’s lurking?
00:48 5 steps to a pandemic
01:30 the mammoth’s trunk
02:43 permafrost 101
03:24 batagaika crater
04:43 your career
05:44 zombie bacteria
07:18 zombie viruses
08:53 giant viruses
10:55 hard out there for a pox
11:23 meet a human
12:30 infect?
13:21 smallpox
14:24 1918 flu
16:32 should we worry?
19:02 joss has bad news
20:50 credits
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