Mayim Bialik's Breakdown

Part Two: The Rise of Cancel Culture, Distrust in Science & Misinformation: Dr. Steven Pinker Reveals The Hidden Psychology That Threatens Society.

9 snips
Sep 24, 2025
Dr. Steven Pinker, a Harvard cognitive psychologist and author, tackles the complex issues of cancel culture, scientific skepticism, and misinformation. He explores how societal perceptions shape power dynamics and warns against the dangers of politicizing science. The conversation dives into the limits of beliefs around ESP and near-death experiences, asserting they lack empirical support. Pinker also emphasizes the importance of distinguishing between harmful and benign beliefs in our pursuit of knowledge.
Ask episode
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
INSIGHT

Science Aims To Separate Fact From Value

  • Science should separate facts from values and aim to dispassionately assess reality.
  • Scientists must show methods, acknowledge fallibility, and explain how successes arose.
INSIGHT

Politicized Science Undermines Trust

  • When scientific institutions appear politically biased they lose credibility and fuel dismissiveness.
  • Eroding trust in objectivity gives opponents license to reject valid scientific consensus.
ADVICE

Protect University Funding And Freedom

  • Safeguard academic freedom and resist weaponizing accusations that cut funding.
  • Protect universities because they produce breakthroughs and attract global talent.
Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode
Get the app