Bestselling author and experimental psychologist Steven Pinker, was joined in conversation by McGill Professor Jennifer Welsh in New York City on Thursday, May 16.
We put together a few highlights of their conversation. The full video is available below.
Are democracies today really facing new challenges or are the threats more traditional than they seem at first?
Jennifer Welsh explored the possible approaches we can take towards the challenges facing democracies today.
Is it a good idea to use nuclear weapons as a bargaining chip?
Jennifer Welsh also examined the controversial role of nuclear weapons in peacekeeping.
What are the institutional challenges of sustaining peace in countries that have undergone violence?
Both Jennifer Welsh and Steven Pinker spoke about the institutional challenge of sustaining peace in countries that have undergone violence.
Watch the full event
The full conversation lasted for close to an hour and was a fantastic discussion featuring two leading thinkers.
More About Steven Pinker and Jennifer Welsh
Steven Pinker conducts research on language and cognition and is Harvard College Professor and Johnstone Family Professor of Psychology at Harvard University. In his latest work, Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress, he makes the case for the ideals we need to confront our problems and continue humanity's progress.
International relations scholar Jennifer 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.
