Cognitive scientist and Harvard professor Steven Pinker, author of “The Language Instinct” and “The Blank Slate,” has written extensively about the acquisition of language.

His newest book, “The Sense of Style: The Thinking Person’s Guide to Writing in the 21st Century” (Viking Adult, $27.95), observes the way we frequently deploy this language on paper (or online), and judges it to be abysmal.

But there is hope! Deploying examples of great writing, Pinker discusses ways to declutter our prose and clarify our thoughts.

He will discuss the new book Oct. 16 at the Savannah College of Art and Design’s Midtown facility called SCADshow.

Read his interview here: on-myajc.com/ZZqgPF

About the Author

Featured

An aerial view captures a large area under construction for a new data center campus on Thursday, May 29, 2025. Developed by QTS, the data center campus near Fayetteville is one of the largest under construction in Georgia. (Miguel Martinez/AJC)

Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez