Steven Pinker conducts research on language and cognition and is Harvard College Professor and Johnstone Family Professor of Psychology at Harvard University, as well as the author of ten books. He will address some of the key elements in his latest work, Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress, in which he makes the case for the ideals we need to confront our problems and continue humanity's progress.

Pinker will be joined in conversation by international relations scholar Jennifer Welsh. Welsh carved out a reputation as a prominent thinker on the history and practice of humanitarian intervention during her years as a professor at the University of Oxford. She joined McGill in 2019, where she holds a joint appointment between the Department of Political Science and the new Max Bell School of Public Policy, and serves as director of the Centre for International Peace and Security Studies.