Lecture: "Language, Brain and Genes"

The development of life on Earth took the path from the simplest organisms to the most complex structure in the Universe— the human brain. With all the achievements and failures of our civilization, we owe it to our brain. Humanity is developing at enormous speed, mastering the planet and building even more ambitious plans thanks to progress in the information sphere, whose foundation is humanity’s ability to operate symbolic systems—from language to mathematics and music. Which of our abilities are genetically built in and connect us with other biological species, and which are the result of life in society and culture? An important cognitive and existential question arises: how do new skills—such as mastery of symbolic systems—change our very essence? Cognitive science reveals new data on how the human brain functions and the role of conscious and unconscious processes, which will inevitably affect the future development of society.