EarÂliÂer this month, HarÂvard stuÂdents made their way to the Sanders TheÂatre for the 2012 ediÂtion of HarÂvard Thinks Big. It’s a TED-style event which gets pitched like this: “8 all-star proÂfesÂsors. 8 big ideas. All ten minÂutes each.” You get the gist.
This year’s verÂsion had as much subÂstance, though perÂhaps not quite the same sizÂzle, as the 2011 verÂsion, which feaÂtured talks by Steven Pinker, Lawrence Lessig, Daniel Gilbert and Elaine ScarÂry. Above, we have one talk from the latÂest HarÂvard Thinks Big. It feaÂtures Daniel LieberÂman, the renowned biolÂoÂgist (perÂhaps you know his work on bareÂfoot runÂning?) talkÂing about how evoÂluÂtionÂary biolÂoÂgy explains why obeÂsiÂty is on the rise in the UnitÂed States.
OthÂer speakÂers at the event includÂed Doug Melton, Eleanor DuckÂworth, Nicholas ChrisÂtakis, Kaia Stern, DonÂhee Ham, Stephen GreenÂblatt, and Jill LepÂore. The lecÂtures can be watched via YouTube (folÂlow the preÂviÂous links) or via iTunes. RegretÂtably the talks by GreenÂblatt, Ham and LepÂore haven’t made it to the web, at least not yet. When they do, we’ll menÂtion it on our TwitÂter stream, where we post lots of othÂer culÂturÂal goodÂies.
RelatÂed ConÂtent:
HarÂvard Presents Free CoursÂes with the Open LearnÂing IniÂtiaÂtive
HarÂvard Thinks Green: Big Ideas from 6 All-Star EnviÂronÂment Profs
Why is the U.S. F’ed Up? 8 LecÂtures from OccuÂpy HarÂvard Teach-In ProÂvide Answers
It amazes me that othÂerÂwise intelÂliÂgent peoÂple like HarÂvard profs breeziÂly equate parÂentÂing with state coerÂcion.
And to sugÂgest that we need coerÂcion to overÂcome the apparÂentÂly inevitable forces of evoÂluÂtion.
One of the reaÂsons we have obeÂsiÂty is due to the disÂasÂtrous state-supÂportÂed dietary advice that is so lovÂingÂly forced upon us. The last thing in the world we need is more such coerÂcion.