One of the leading thinkers and writers on the subjects that interest me most — the human mind, the evolution of life, and the connection between the two — is Harvard’s Steven Pinker. His books The Language Instinct, How the Mind Works, Words and Rules, and The Blank Slate are all outstanding, and should be read by anyone who shares my fascination with these complex and enormously important areas if inquiry. What I didn’t know, though, was that he is also both a marvelous photographer and a habitué of Cape Cod’s farthest extremities. I have just stumbled upon a collection of his photographs of the waters, skies, beaches and wildlife of Provincetown, Truro, and Wellfleet, and they are simply stupendous.
Pinker’s Cape images are gathered into two galleries, here and here, and the main page for all of his photography is here. Please do take a look; you won’t be disappointed. You will also get an idea of why I love this unique place so.
5 Comments
The photo galleries are really worth a visit! I second the recommendation.
– M
My turn to make a comment only tangentially related to your post. . .
The topics that fascinate you also fascinate me, so I though I’d be so bold as to ask if you’ve read “A Mind So Rare” by Merlin Donald. To my way of thinking, it’s the best I’ve read on the subject, partly because he draws on so many different fields of study in tackling the big questions. But I’d be really interested to know what others have thought of it–if I could only find someone who has read it.
Hi Addofio,
Not only have I not read it, I’ve not even heard of it. But now I have, so I will take a look.
How about those photos? Isn’t Cape Cod beautiful?
I went and looked at the photos after leaving the above comment. They are beautiful. I’ve been to Cape Cod only once, in August; I remember the crowds and traffic as much or more than the beaches, so the pictures helped me recall the reasons everyone goes there in the first place.
I’ll await your thoughts on the book with interest.
Thanks, Addofio. I have books stacked up waiting to be read, so it might be a little while before I can comment on this one, but I will get a copy.