"There is nothing in the intellect that has not previously been in the senses." -CS Peirce

Our human brains have undergone two very different stages of evolution. One pertains to primates (or mammals) in general, and facilitates how we see, hear, feel, remember, and react to the world around us. The other, more recently evolved, is the culture-processing part that generates meaning and transmits it to others, or receives those signals and turns the words or signs into meaning. For this reason, linguistic utterances we produce or receive do not map onto neural structures in a simple cartesian way. Understanding how and why can help us craft our messages.

Theory developed by those who study meaning making and communication turns out to be useful in understanding how we go about changing someone else's brain (and thus, perhaps, their mind). Knowing this theory is like knowing a bit about the biology of fish. You can catch a fish without that knowledge, but you might have better luck if you see the process from the walleye's point of view. We will explore how an idea gets, or fails to get, from your brain into the brain of others.

Greg Laden is a biological anthropologist who has studied the evolution of human language and culture, and a political activist who develops policy and writes about progressive issues, especially environmental concerns. He plays several roles in the DFL and is a leader in various Indivisible groups.

This event is free with an optional Pay-what-you-will donation to support the work of Connections Lab. You will receive a Zoom link after registering.