You Know That I Know | Interview: Steven Pinker

In this book, Steven Pinker argues that language is an innate human ability, produced by evolution to solve the problem of communication among social hunter-gatherers. He explains how language works, how children learn it, how it changes, and how the brain computes it. Pinker refutes common ideas such as the Sapir–Whorf hypothesis and the notion that language is a human invention. He supports his argument with examples from linguistics, psychology, and popular culture, emphasizing that language is a specialized 'mental module' rather than a mark of advanced intelligence. The book also includes updates on advances in the science of language since its initial publication.

In this book, Steven Pinker delves into the workings of the human mind, addressing questions such as why we are rational yet often irrational, how we perceive the world, and the origins of emotions, social interactions, and higher cognitive functions. Pinker synthesizes insights from cognitive science, evolutionary biology, and other fields to explain how the mind evolved to solve the problems faced by our ancestors. He discusses topics like vision, emotion, social behavior, and the mysteries of consciousness, arguing for a computational theory of mind and an adaptationist approach to evolution.

In 'The Sense of Style', Steven Pinker offers a practical and entertaining guide to writing, emphasizing the importance of clarity, empathy, and coherence. He challenges traditional usage guides by applying insights from linguistics and cognitive science to improve writing skills. The book is filled with examples of effective and ineffective prose, providing readers with tools to enhance their writing style.

In 'The Fatal Conceit,' Friedrich Hayek refutes socialism by highlighting the limitations of human reason in designing complex societal systems. He argues that societal order and efficiency emerge from spontaneous processes and the voluntary actions of individuals within a framework of established rules, rather than from top-down planning. Hayek emphasizes the importance of respecting and understanding the spontaneous and extended order of human cooperation, and he advocates for a humble recognition of the limits of human knowledge and the wisdom embedded in evolved social traditions and market processes. The book also critiques the concept of social justice in socialist ideologies, arguing that true social justice should be understood in terms of equality of opportunities rather than equality of outcomes.

In this book, Steven Pinker presents a detailed argument that violence has significantly decreased over the course of human history. He uses extensive data and statistical analysis to demonstrate this decline in various domains, including military conflict, homicide, genocide, torture, and the treatment of children, homosexuals, animals, and racial and ethnic minorities. Pinker identifies four key human motivations – empathy, self-control, the moral sense, and reason – as the 'better angels' that have oriented humans away from violence and towards cooperation and altruism. He also discusses historical forces such as the rise of the state (which he terms 'Leviathan'), the spread of commerce, the growth of feminist values, and the expansion of cosmopolitanism, which have contributed to this decline in violence.