Reason, Optimism and the Limits of Wokeness | Professor Steven Pinker
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- Опубліковано 26 чер 2024
- In this conversation, John is joined by Professor Steven Pinker, world renowned cognitive psychologist, psycholinguist and public intellectual.
John and Steven discuss why, despite the profound influence of the Enlightenment on the modern world, so many have been captivated by postmodernism and critical theories which reject the essence of the Enlightenment - rationality and objective truth.
They consider what it is to be rational, how rationality relates to being morally 'good', the difference between wisdom and knowledge, science and it's impact on modernity and why bad ideas so often stem from the halls of academia.
Steven applies his mind to other topical questions, including the erosion of free speech, the rise of artificial intelligence and how aspiring writers can hone their craft.
Steven Pinker is an experimental psychologist who conducts research in visual cognition, psycholinguistics, and social relations. He earned his BA from McGill and his PhD from Harvard. Currently Johnstone Professor of Psychology at Harvard, he has also taught at Stanford and MIT.
He has won numerous prizes for his research, his teaching, and his books. The latest published in 2021, is called 'Rationality: What It Is, Why It Seems Scarce, Why It Matters'.
He is an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences, a two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist, a Humanist of the Year, a recipient of nine honorary doctorates, and one of Foreign Policy’s “World’s Top 100 Public Intellectuals” and Time’s “100 Most Influential People in the World Today.” He was Chair of the Usage Panel of the American Heritage Dictionary, and writes frequently for the New York Times, the Guardian, and other publications.
#psychology #enlightenment #rationality
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00:00 Intro
00:42 Introducing Stephen Pinker
01:18 Things are getting better, so why is the news so negative?
05:21 The relationship between rationality and morality
09:20 What is wisdom?
11:30 The state of western academia
16:18 Is there such a thing as western reason?
18:13 Without truth, all that's left is power
19:58 Science progresses because we never know when we have the truth
20:55 Critical thinking, Censorship and Academia
22:33 Clever Sillies - Why smart people think such strange things
28:40 Reason and climate policy
35:40 Irrationality is nothing new
39:55 How suppressing speech locks in error
43:49 Keys to a productive debate
46:07 Are we becoming too reliant on technology?
48:45 The future? Good and bad
53:36 Why we ought to be optimistic about the future
58:29 How to use reading to improve your writing
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Conversations feature John Anderson, former Deputy Prime Minister of Australia, interviewing the world's foremost thought leaders about today's pressing social, cultural and political issues.
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I wish I had appreciated John more when he was in politics . We have lost so many good people in our political sphere , not just that , they have been replaced by fraudulent fools . Thank you John for everything you have done , and everything you are doing for our great country Australia .
I agree. Mr Anderson is a good man and I was too young and foolish to appreciate that fully when he was a politician.
"replaced by fraudulent fools" ......... that seems to be a global problem. It strikes me that the problem lies with the system. Media and public-declaration slurs and backstabbing favor a particular type of performative politician. Add to that the fact that the bulk of the distracted electorate not only bases decisions on emotion, but have been actively encouraged to distrust intellectuals. "“Anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.'”" ― Isaac Asimov (~1980, writing of the USA)
I agree, and I would add Mark Latham to that.
Yeah hes great
John Anderson without doubt has one of the best podcasts out there, such a thoughtful, generous and patient host. Perhaps this is why he consistently attracts the best guests.
Thank you John for your efforts.
Thank you John - you continue to bring us amazing conversations .
Every time I read or listen to Stephen Pinker, I feel I have acquired a better understanding of rational thinking.
Steven Pinker is always worth listening to. So much knowledge, so much wisdom!
I have been a follower and academic fan of Steve Pinker for a very long time. I owe a great deal of some of my life skills to Stevens work.
John Anderson is the greatest Prime Minister Australia and Britain never had. A serious mind, moral backbone and a life of hard work in the Australian Bush is quite the combination it turns out.
Sadly he was never likely to become Prime Minister. He was leader of the National party, which is in coalition with the liberal party (supposedly our conservative party, libertarian party, though nolonger) when they are in power the leader of the liberal party is Prime Minister, and the leader of the National party is deputy.
Yeah why don't we have more political leaders like these guys
Enlightenment Now should be taught in schools in Australia. Also John, please consider doing a tour of university campuses at some point (and make sure to come to Adelaide!) and speak to students about the wisdom of considering perspective. Love your work.
Pinker is an island of calm rationality you have to visit occasionally as reminder it still exists
This was so good to listen to and appreciate, two highly admirable and adored intellectuals.
12 minutes in, and I am starting to think that the door to better thinking is mindfulness. Openness, curiosity, compassion, truth, and being in the moment.
Looking at the How and Methodology of things before we look at the What and Consumerism which we have been sold on to make us feel better.
Better thinking is also developed by human relationships. In the interview both men mentioned the Golden Rule.
Throughout our lives; youth, marriage, starting a family, and retirement age, we value human contact, experiences, and sharing with others. Therein, kindness, righteousness and love uplifts the human spirit. And by extension enhances society and its culture.
@@steveflorida8699 Openness to listen and share, valuing the intrinsic worth of every individual.
Steven Pinker kept with his webcam from 1994, props to him for never giving it up.
Thankfully he got a new microphone 😂
Thank you so much John. Thank goodness for Steven Pinker.
Great to hear this caliber of intelligent discussion and hope to hear more. There is an unquenchable thirst as well as an undeniable need for it now in particular. Cheers.
I remember Professor Steven Pinker during pandemy when he was sayin' :"rational" and the host of program "yes , vaxines", prof. Pinker :" irrational" host-"antivax and conspiratorial". Well , at least prof. Pinker finished with :" There is always some rationality in beeing irrational".
Kind regards.
Yes, he has had many good moments and some bad ones, where he succumbed to fear.
@@Individual_Lives_Matter True, me and my childish believe in highly educated ppl. I think grew up a bit.Regards
Yes, I don't doubt he is pro- vex. He is involved in academia after all. The vex issue is one where people who pride themselves on their open mindedness really let themselves down. After all the evidence against them seems to be overwhelming, hence the need for the intense censorship, manipulation of stats, & the cancelling, character assassination, demonisation , scapegoating & nullification of those trying to have a rational discussion on the topic. .
I don't get why self driving cars are good. I love driving. Regardless, i suspect the whole point of that technology is to take away & outlaw car ownership. Once that's achieved the self driving ride share vehicles will disappear as well. End of private transport.
Thank you very much for such enjoyable conversation.
S.Pinker saved my sanity in 2020 explaining what exactly was going with Woke, blm etc.
On his third book now.
Loving his wisdom, knowledge, bravery and style.
What was it that he said specifically and what was the source material?
Ahh that's why he is controversial. Critiquing this new quasi-religion of the west known as " wokeness " will get you in a lot of trouble.
@@emperoremyhriv4968 but he really isn’t controversial. What makes you say he is?
@@EmperorsNewWardrobe I read a new york times article about him saying people exaggerate the problem of systemic racism which led to the student union signing a petition which asked for his resignation. Of course it didn't work because Steven pinker is a world renowned psychologist however he said he would be in danger if he wasn't as prominent as he is . Most of the comments on the article supported him so that's a good thing but at the same time it's horrifying that he nearly lost his job at the hands of a few deranged radical hippies .
Pinker is one of the adults in the room ... and often the only adult around... He is worth a listen
A clever silly --- great term
Steven Pinker is one of my idol as a studying psychologist and same with Jordan Peterson and Steven C Hayes.
not James Lindsay of new discourses?
Not a shrink or councillor but originally a mathematician the depths he delves and the oration is rather interesting
Cool. 👍 Just don't be anyone's disciple.
Thank you for posting this interesting video. The pivot away from reason is costing the world dearly.
I love the way Steven goes right against the grain of modern tropes. He ploughed right through the weeds and turned the soil right over. Great.
It's great that Pinker recognizes that dogma can and will bump up against reality if it is not the true situation.
Pinkerton is a calm blue ocean of rational in the middle of a volcano of wokester!
John, your concise and articulate manner is much appreciated! Always a pleasure listening to your conversations!
Thought provoking. I fully agree with the distrust of debating as a public-entertainment competition. Conversations such as this, where moments of disagreement elucidate positions and lead to mental adjustment are much, much more valuable than rhetorical combat.
Thank you so much for this interview. It’s reassuring to have important ideas and the real life situations we find ourselves in addressed so clearly in a public forum. An added treat was finding out about Dr. Pinker’s writing style book. I had no idea Dr. Pinker had written one and I collect them. So thanks for that tidbit, too. My print copy is on its way and the audiobook is in my digital library now.
Yes. Truth is an aspiration. The postmodernists completely miss this and, in doing so, put us all in a downward spiral of nihilism.
Unfortunately as a non-western observer of the west , I agree with you . The west is heading down a very horrific pass thanks to psuedo-intellectuals like foucalt and derida .
Steven should also be recognized for his many framed credentials in the background. Only missing a lab coat.
Brilliant job getting the Professor on!
Excellent discussion, thank you to both of you.
Great channel, john, love the pinker series most of all🎉🎉
Thanks John. Like a bright light at a distance, this is worth navigating by.
Building nuclear takes a long time. When there is already an abundance of sunlight, it makes sense to build quick and more robust energy production systems in lower latitudes and in nations without significant expertise to maintain such facilities, sincerely I wish I had more time for trial and error, but I'll be 56 in August and I need ideas and advice on what investments to make to set myself up for retirement, especially with the looming inflation and recession; my goal is to have at least $1 million by the age of 60.
There are many ways to benefit handsomely, especially in this bear market, but such complicated trades can only be executed by qualified market professionals.
@@SophieWeslock That is heartening. How did you go about finding a qualified investment advisor like that? I've wanted to get in touch with one, but I'm not sure how to do it. I don't mind looking up this one that guides you.
@@SophieWeslock I just looked her up and she seems really proficient. I thought this was just some overrated BS, I appreciate this. Thanks for sharing.
This is a discussion of the first order. I'm grateful to both of you. (At 19:00 refer also to The Aboiltion of Man by CS Lewis for a discussion of when reason is abolished all that is left is power, or 'appetites' as he put it)
Appetites is an even better word.👍 Instincts might be another.
We need to inventory our instincts and appetites, examining each one to evaluate how salutary or self-injurious it is to follow or suppress it to any given extent. One might say the study of morality amounts to little more than that.
Thank you John, been a follower in the distant past, and now through the Web.
Fantastic interview. Thank you both.
I did notice a few times when John lent into an idealised view of the past, but Pinker managed to keep a balanced perspective in his answers. I do tend to see a bias with John and a lot of similar commentators, but this was still a great discussion!
A great conversation - thank you both - esp. on the nature of scientific debate.
I know this man is an atheist, but I thank God for his ability to communicate perennial knowledge and wisdom.
Wisdom is knowledge applied to the best ends.
I'm tired of hearing people how wonderful we are because we're lifting so many people out of poverty, while basically or practically ignoring the psychological and emotional misery that people are in today. There's no real hard looking at that, a real discussion there.
That's an excellent point. In my country I believe the perfect point was 1950 - 1970. When yes people had to struggle. The working class didn't have many labour saving devices. But healthcare was fairly good. And manufacturing jobs were plentiful, and a factory worker could afford a modest house and car, whilst supporting a wife and children. These are the things that produce contentment.
Because people are psychologically abused, just not physically. Woke agendas are making people miserable.
People choose to be miserable. That's on them.
Blame that on the postmodernists pushing destructive quasi-religious views on people .
@@emperoremyhriv4968 But in order to introduce a quasi - religion, they first had to create a God shaped hole. Here in Australia, as late as 1980, in government schools we still read from the Bible for half an hour every morning and said the Lord's Prayer.
But for decades now religion has been held in contempt. However as gender theory and CRT, has replaced the God shaped hole, low and behold the tide is changing. I came across a statistic recently that there has been a 25% increase in parents choosing private Christian schools this year alone. The post modernists might rant and rave in media and online, but parents are voting with their feet which values to place in their kids God shaped hole. At the end of the day it's easy to grow up and reject religion. Pretty hard to grow up and reject the surgery you got at 14.
Excellent. You have some of the greatest thinkers on your series. I am a big fan of Pinker.
Steven made a very interesting point. Poverty is the norm through history.
Surprised that Pinker appears not to have (yet) read Kara’s excellent book “Cobalt Red”, which wakes people up to the fraudulent definitions of ‘clean fuel’ and ‘carbon emissions’. It is corporate (Chinese) power at the heart of this discussion - the elephant in the room.
Perfect example of a scientific expert speaking outside his area of expertise. Among his awards I would add a Trofim Lysenko award for not recognizing the considerable problem of state -sponsored “science” providing the answers desired and paid for by statists. The tell is with the Carbon Tax. What a joke. The carbon credit system is already fraudulent beyond repair. Besides, why am I taxed when my own forest, field and fen acts as a carbon sink/deposit. Pinker and all fellow citiots should be paying me for the net oxygen gain they benefit from. Oh, but that’s crazy talk, right? More carbon, more life. 15% more vegetation worldwide in past ~ 15 years, mostly in semi-arid regions. Greater CO2 concentrations = Less time for stomatal opening = less water loss = greater efficiency. No surprise here as to purported solutions from yet another state-sponsored “scientist” - more governmental involvement and oversight. Imagine my shock 😱
CCP censorship in action - cant see the response to this comment
Brilliant. Thanks
What a great episode
Great conversation.
Reason and feeling combined. Reason alone can be Frankenstein. Feeling alone can be blind. We need both in tandem. The overemphasize on reason alone is detached from reality leaving its partner out of the equation.
another winner John.
It’s extraordinary to me that bright, erudite people can talk for such a long time about morality and wisdom without talking about a human being’s integration of cognitive abilities with emotional maturity (empathy, resilience, impulse control and the like)! It is “as if” the “out there” of the world’s we share bore little resemblance to the “in here” of the private worlds we inhabit: “all politics is local” or “the personal is the political!”
Perhaps part of the answer to my implied question is that too much of our “knowledge,” especially that of the Academy, is theoretical, rather than experiential, not dissimilar in kind from the apparent hiatus between cognition and feeling!
Perhaps agreement is foundationally difficult to achieve any substantive “coalition” around the bases of personal/social/cultural meaning-making, but we might try harder to resist the temptations that seem to result from my answer is the answer!
Great chat
Good chat. I've tried to get through Pinker's Better Angels of Our Nature on audiobook. It's very long and in-depth but with a lot of interesting points of consideration.
Word.
Sense of Style is a really good and witty book.
Steven Pinker mentioning how they work with dictionaries and the English language reminds me of something from when I started learning English. When I spoke with English or American people on the internet and I told them that my first language was not English, they would always correct me if I wrote a mistake as using a, an, is or are incorrectly. But the funny thing was that they themselves were in no way better with the grammar and they would never stop each other and correct the error, just because they knew that the person who did the mistake had English as their first language.
When I at a time asked some of them about the rules of English grammar, they would say that the rules sort of didn't apply as long as enough people would make the same mistake continuously. I suppose also having English as a first language made them according to their own opinion entitled to make changes of their own.
Personally I think proper grammar is there for a reason and a degradation of a language just makes it harder to communicate with.
👋 ADORABLE AS USUAL. .....!!
Love the discussion, found the use of woke and
anti-woke still not explained, often see these words
weaponized and/or used as click bait.
REASONABLE MORALITY
Keep up good reading and listening. Nothing wrong with having examples who you grew up with rather than examples from societies traditions that are not so long lived as they pretend to be.
The wheel of progress is turning like it or not. We are better off though we tend to see the work that still needs to be done, the problems we still are working on. There is a positive use even for our negative bias if we care to walk that path rather than beat people over the head with our beliefs.
I miss intelligent politicians...
Yes, he cones across as interested, questing & thoughtful, & of course pro- human.
Nice to see a longer podcast for a change.
I support others sentiments that your style of interview is worthy of many more views and guests than you do.
It has always been there, social media has given it a voice.
Whoever asks for the truth and finishes his request and learns the logical principles and rules, he will certainly not find a conflict from the purpose of human creation.
The Creator did not create us and let us so we walk without guidance.
james Lindsay
new discourses
Hi there Steven Pinker ❤😮 i like all of your framed certificates if those are yours.
26:34 'OK, it works in practice but does it work in theory?'
Reality is what doesn't let you get away with it.
I would argue that the Ocford debate fails most magnificently in courtrooms.
You may be right, but do you know a better way to settle legal disputes?
We would all like to welcome Steve Pinker to 2015.
I wonder if Stephen Pinker is familiar with Friedrich Hayek and his theory of "spontaneous order.". The two are on the same track...
I think a lot of people are afraid of spontaneous order.
In the UK, from my experience of reviewing my children’s education. This is endemic within the 11-18 education system, both teachers and school leadership. As they are allowed to do this, it must also be the position of government too, or they would choose to limit it. We have had a conservative government for many years, therefore it is the accepted position of the country.
In Australia the main conservative party never gets involved in the culture wars or interfering with the left's capture of school curriculums. We've found private schools, not the elite ones, they are woke, but the Christian ones, or homeschooling are the best options.
@@grannyannie2948 I suppose this all is just the logical progression of enlightenment philosophy once it was confirmed we were not the product of a designer. I know it doesn’t feel like this, but taken to its logical extremes we have no agency whatsoever, it’s all just the relative positions of particles in time and space, so there is no intrinsic meaning to anything; it just “is”.
@@yp77738yp77739 Perhaps, though it's a little deep and philosophical for me in my early morning time zone. The premise that we have no designer is an atheist, position. Whilst the churches remain fairly empty, they were traitorous for a while, the human rights abuses of the last three years have left many with nowhere to turn to but the God of the Bible. Only he can punish our enemies, as the evil ran too deep. And as I said, many parents choose a Christian indoctrination for their children, over the indoctrination of the state.
@@grannyannie2948 I agree that when we know and accept that there is no intrinsic meaning to life, that’s a very uncomfortable reality for us to have to accept. The use of any means (including religious myths) to reduce the existential angst has to be good for those unable to cope with that angst, but it still doesn’t make it any more or less real than anyone else’s absurdities. We are all extremely easy to be manipulated by those wanting to exercise power and control over us, particularly when young but even when older. I was reading the news this morning and it was describing these Kenyan Christian starvation cults, where mothers were intentionally starving themselves and their own children to death, to get to heaven. Myth can and very often does lead to abuses of power.
33:00 I find it strange that someone as smart as Pinker can't see that once you accept nuclear there is no case for solar/wind.
@@SomeBody-pb7ht yeah his ai takes are totally uninformed as well, I guess he's bad ans overconfident outside his domain of psychology
Nuclear takes long time to build. On lower latitudes and in countries with no substantial expertise to maintain such facilities it makes sense to build fast and more bulletproof energy production systems when there's already a abundance of sunlight. But I get your point. If you can go nuclear there's no need for anything else.
The enrichment of uranium to ready it for nuclear power production, is a nasty expensive process that is not often talked about. Why 90% of this happens in Russia, that fact alone should make one seriously question the nuclear power industry as a valid option.
Nicola Tesla had the right idea, stating that electricity is in the air and freely available for collection by anyone. It is just not economically viable, there is no money in it.
@@MrRatclimaGood point.
Solar and wind are idealogical, not practical or logical.
JA is something special, he has a certain charm that conveys complete confidence. But his grasp of evil reality is lacking.
Still in denial.
51:29, i found that to be quite alarming and distressing :/
I know what caused the deterioration of academia. Once the government started subsidizing and guaranteeing tuition for inferior intellects, colleges needed to develop curricula for weak thinkers and scholars to get the federal dollars. Just look at Derek Bell. Follow the money ;)
No. Gov subsidies gave everyone a chance to go to uni. It was up to the professors to maintain standards....
This is true in Australia. Greedy universities chase fee paying foreign students regardless of their ability, or even being able to speak English.
The golden rule, categorical imperative and Rawls veil of uncertainty may be good for thinking about universal morality, but the problem is that this is not how evolution designed humans. We think in ingroup/outgroup categories, since that corresponds to how humans evolved. Rawls method assumes that you don't know whether you will be ingroup or outgroup. Great for thinking in general terms about morality, but it doesn't apply to human interactions. The premise is false and impossible, but if we could make people think in those terms (everyone is ingroup) we would all be better off. Don't hold your breath. Unless we change human DNA, I think we will be stuck with ingroup/outgroup morality.
There would be more we could do with the carbon taxation retrospectively paid for damages done in the past, PLUS carbon taxation for damages done from now on till end...with the objectives to use the consolidated taxation in making universally cheap energy.
When it comes to less and less people reading books, I've noticed how people more and more use AI generated texts to make reviews and such. One thing is when a person can't write manually with a pencil, but imagine not being able to write properly even with a keyboard.
Of course people mostly just use the AI because it's easier or because it's someone being paid to make multiple reviews, yet I'd assume the increased use of AI would become an issue in some time.
Why and how are corporations being transformed into "Social Justice Police States" as was said? What has created this change? How can corporations be restored?
Was that his opinion on science during the pandemic?
We can't " transition to "renewables" at all with the current technology. Or rather we can't if we want to have enough energy to stay warm, produce food & cook it, pull people in the developing world out of poverty, create & innovate etc. Even the president of the IPCC says a 1.5 degree increase will not be catastrophic. Unintended consequences trying to
Wow the interviewer is blatant in their agenda. I'm glad that Pinker pushed back in important areas.
26:40 ... this is something new (maybe 75 years old), and wrong that Steven endorses... the view that dictionaries should just report what every slob does with a word as if there are no standards for concepts. It's a cancer on understanding and dramatically underappreciated for the harm it produces for clear thinking and communication. The word 'perception' implies a successful grasping of something external through the use of our senses (analogous uses are fine, but clear uses are tremendously useful as anchors of meaning... meaning isn't just use, many words have denoting functions). All perception terms, seeing, hearing, smelling, etc., are success terms. We have words like 'misperception' because of this. The least dictionaries should do is highlight logical, clear uses of terms and show derivative and or defective uses in another script or color. Literally. ;)
Agreed. John McWhorter advocates for a radical plasticity of language and meaning as well. Albeit differently motivated, this participates in the institutional disruption, and the vitiation of standards and meaning perpetrated by the Woke.
Is it just me or does this guy start out with the premise, "Everything's better than it used to be, isn't it Steve?" then proceed to ask one question after another where he tries to get Pinker to agree to the exact opposite?
50:53 “students will soon meet up with the real world”
51:37 👈 the real world
The answer to ‘where did this wokeisn come from’ is: social media. Or more specially, engagement based algorithms. When you are bombarded in an echo chamber of your own poor thoughts- never exposed to others and constantly reinforced you end up a) believing nonsense and b) thinking Yoire the centre of the world. All countries need to ban engagement based algorithms now! We’ll look back and realise they are worse than smoking in terms of social costs.
Wrong. This is Tim Pool’s bass ackwards take. The ideology took hold long before social media. It’s been in HR and DEI departments for quite some time. It was bound to spread because hardcore zealots were on a mission to spread it. Yes, they got jobs in tech and put it in the social media algorithms but that was closer to the tail end of things.
@@Individual_Lives_Matter rubbish
Yeah, ok . Sure thing Mr Anderson ,sir !
The motivation for the highly efficient production of seed-oil crops is purely one of altruism.
Also: raising grass-fed beef ( a healthier option ) is hardly rocket science.
It seems the currency of moralistic by-products are gaining ground somewhat, eh ?
.....and speaking of by-products ;
any thoughts as to averting a repeat of what happened to Eugowra ?
Stubble from the recently harvested canola crop prevented adequate drainage(already less than 1:120 fall) even in dry season.
?
Perhaps it's time for the oversupply of such superior intellects to get cracking on problems-devastating problems like these.
Steven, you are a multi-millionaire. How come you don't have a better camera?
They, the people in the interview, may benefit from a little more Freud and Jung 🤷♂️
People will do anything to not look at themselves deeply...
Social distancing worked. Alienation has been normalized.
Agenda 21 exceeded expectations, full steam ahead 2030. You Will Own Nothing.
Pinker’s views of the world are a little too Pollyanna-ish for my taste. Sure the news cycle tends to emphasize the negative over the positive, but is that really an irrational way to operate? The homicide rate is calculated as the number of murders per 100,000 people. In 2013, in Canada it was 1.44. In 2020 it was 2.43, so it went up a lot up over seven years in spite of Justin Trudeau’s efforts to take away guns from lawful gun owners. Pinker seems to think that we should be happy because life was a lot more violent in the medieval ages. We know that. We have all watched Game of Thrones. But how does that help us solve our homicide problem today?
I was surprised that Pinker gave pretty much a perfect argument for a tax on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions (since that’s really what he is talking about when he talks about a carbon tax), but then he doesn’t realize that this is pretty much all that needs to be done to fight global warming. He pretty much avoids wading into politics but when he does his bias is pretty flagrant. He grouses against Donald Trump slackening regulations against methane links, but he is apparently OK with unindicted war criminal Joe Biden sabotaging the Nordstream 1 and 2 pipelines to unleash a massive methane link. What’s with this guy?
In experiment the experiment brings talk to an end. In a country nothing brings talk to an end. There's no comparison. He's just eliding the difference between means-to-end and diffrences about the ends. The diffrences about the ends is life. No, Mr Pinker, people really arn't all like you. Pinker basically annoys people. That's his whole yutzy thing.
As long as there is no limit to technology, there will be no limit to wokeness. Me NN
Quality Guest.... props mate...
According to Pinker, reading “just appeared too recently in human evolutionary history for it to have left its mark on the genome.”
In parts of sub-Saharan Africa, literacy arrived only in colonial times, but in the Middle East and China selective pressure for literacy may have been at work for millennia. As Ron Unz has described, the sophisticated, literate but sink-or-swim culture of ancient China had obvious evolutionary implications
It's happened for many thousands of years. Nor is widespread literacy new, in Roman times, and even England in the 1600s there was a higher level of literacy that you have to go to the late 1800s for comparable percentages.
Nice chap and I agreed with much of what he said. One Problem: Steven Pinker is far too nice, mild-mannered & reasonable to tackle the extremely aggressive and unpleasant Woke Stasi. It would be like sending Bertrand Russell with a copy of 'The History of Western Philosophy to stand in the path of Puntin's T72 tanks & Grad rocket launchers.
i'm so glad Pinkman didn't break wokeward, as many others of his insuperably agreeable disposition have. when it comes time to fight for the nature of truth and reality, sorry team, you're going to need a smart man with some teeth. otherwise you leave it all to the domain of tigers.
Oh my god... there is no CO2 problem 🤦♂️
How about a few real scientists talking about this problem...
US AM talk radio is conservative because the Left is only angry, and doesn't have arguments that can occupy 3 hours per day. I listened to the handful here in LA and they never made it.
The root of wokeness is Christianity. Wokeness is just secularized Puritanism, which is why it's far more pronounced in countries that used to be Puritanical. You see this less in historic Catholic countries like France, Italy, or Poland.
35:01 - unfortunately nuclear power plants come with their own set of problems. Apart from disasters like Chernobyl and Fukushima, how are we suppose to store all the spent uranium rods safely?