Steven Pinker Discusses Rationality and Humanist Values
Point of Inquiry
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The Power of Combinatorial Thinking
The power of combinatorial thinking of analogy, gives us the raw materials for science. Crucially, we had the rules of the game in science - you can criticize someone else's position but they have to persuade others. The demand for empirical testability, just because something is plausible doesn't mean that it's true. You still have to show it. Those almost social norms allow the institution of science to bumble and blunder its way to better understanding of reality.
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