The Gist Steven Pinker: "Common Knowledge Changes Everything"
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Oct 6, 2025 
Cognitive psychologist Steven Pinker, a Harvard professor and author of When Everyone Knows That Everyone Knows, discusses how common knowledge shapes our social dynamics. He delves into how public moments can shift private beliefs into collective understanding, using examples from politics, such as Biden's debate performance. Pinker also explores the implications of spirals of silence and self-deception among leaders, illustrating how common knowledge can empower social coordination and challenge oppressive regimes.
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Common Knowledge Transforms Coordination
- Common knowledge means I know X, you know X, I know you know X, ad infinitum, and that shared awareness radically changes outcomes.
- Steven Pinker argues public revelations (like a debated performance) convert private suspicions into decisive collective knowledge that alters coordination.
Public Moments Can Alter Political Reality
- A highly public moment can flip private beliefs into common knowledge and change political fortunes.
- Pinker cites Biden's 2024 debate as the moment when private doubts became decisive public knowledge.
Conventions Depend On Shared Awareness
- Conventions like driving on one side require common knowledge, not just private preferences.
- Without everyone knowing that everyone knows the rule, coordination breaks down.
