“None of Us is Omniscient” | Steven Pinker, Harvard University
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In our latest episode, Steven Pinker, a Harvard University cognitive psychologist, linguist, and author, sheds light on the quest for human progress, the Enlightenment period, and the importance of maintaining – and burnishing – our democracy.
Pinker is the author of “Enlightenment Now,” a book that dedicates its pages to the great many advances we’ve made as a society and the reasons world is actually getting better, not worse. Bill Gates calls it his “new favorite book of all time.” It’s not all roses, but Pinker’s belief system — one based on data and fact — is grounding when applied through the lens of examining today’s political polarization. His optimism for the future is both encouraging and informative. Expand your mind and have a listen.
“Progress is a real phenomenon. It’s not a question of having an optimistic temperament or seeing the glass as half full, it’s just a question of being aware of facts. ”
Episode Notes:
Why translation matters for the Arab world, The Arab Weekly, Jun. 2019
2004’s Time 100: Steven Pinker, Time Magazine, April 2004
‘Reason is non-negotiable’: Steven Pinker on the Enlightenment, The Guardian, February 2018
Meet the Renegades of the Intellectual Dark Web, The New York Times, May 2018
CNN Holds Morning Meeting To Decide What Viewers Should Panic About For Rest Of Day, The Onion, July 2014
One thing to change: Anecdotes aren’t data, The Harvard Gazette, June 2019
Why are we so Pessimistic?, Brookings, June 2019
Top Harvard Psychologist Steven Pinker: Go Ahead and Get Emotional in Negotiations, Inc. Magazine, July 2019