Harvard professor Steven Pinker explains how to develop a rational mind in 80 minutes.
Steven Pinker, a renowned Canadian cognitive psychologist and author, speaks to Big Think in this wide-ranging conversation on topics such as human progress, the tragedy of the commons, Bayesian reasoning, and strategies to curb our most destructive instincts, with the ultimate goal of improving the world for everyone.
Central to Pinker's argument is the promotion of rationality. His 2023 book, Rationality: What It Is, Why It Seems Scarce, Why It Matters, delves into the enigmatic nature of human progress, examining how we have achieved so many impressive scientific breakthroughs while concurrently succumbing to widespread irrationality, like fake news and conspiracy theories. Pinker maintains that humans are not innately irrational; instead, our thought processes are better adapted to low-tech environments.
So, how can we cultivate greater rationality in today's complex world? Pinker believes that one key lies in improving education. By teaching children critical thinking skills, we can better equip them to identify biases, emotional reasoning, and cognitive distortions. A more effective educational approach might emphasize probability theory, the elements of persuasive rhetoric, and developing empathy by understanding the perspectives of those with differing viewpoints. By fostering these skills, we can nurture a more rational and informed society capable of addressing the challenges of our modern era.
0:00 Meet Steven Pinker
0:25 Why does rationality matter?
3:44 How can we measure human progress?
10:17 Is your view of progress optimistic?
12:12 Are we a rational or an irrational species?
18:29 What are the current threats to rationality and progress?
23:41 Why do new technologies tend to increase irrational thinking?
26:05 How do institutions both enable and hinder progress?
29:57 How does cancel culture stifle rationality?
32:14 What are "tragedies of the commons" and how can they impede progress?
35:58 Do "tragedies of the commons" contribute to political polarization?
37:23 How can narrative thinking skew our perception of the world?
39:51 What are cognitive illusions and do they explain irrationality?
44:49 What is Bayesian reasoning?
50:34 What’s a situation where people tend to neglect Bayesian reasoning?
55:53 Why is Bayesian reasoning indispensable for scientists and AI researchers?
56:42 How useful is Bayesian logic for everyday reasoning?
59:25 Why is it so hard to get people to use Bayesian reasoning?
1:00:29 When can a focus on Bayesian reasoning become problematic?
1:04:20 Why do some journalists and scientists forego Bayesian reasoning?
1:08:22 Is the media responsible for our inability to employ Bayesian reasoning?
1:10:08 Can you simplify Bayes’ theorem for us?
1:10:59 Can we become more rational?
1:17:03 Do we have what it takes to be collectively more rational?
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About Steven Pinker:
Steven Pinker is an experimental psychologist who conducts research in visual cognition, psycholinguistics, and social relations. He grew up in Montreal and 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 nine books, including The Language Instinct, How the Mind Works, The Blank Slate, The Better Angels of Our Nature, The Sense of Style, and Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress.
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