100 - Steven Pinker: Rationality, Enlightenment, and Free Speech
Robinson's Podcast11 Kesä 2023

100 - Steven Pinker: Rationality, Enlightenment, and Free Speech

Steven Pinker is Johnstone Family Professor of Psychology at Harvard University. He is an experimental cognitive psychologist who writes on language, mind, and human nature. In this episode—the hundredth of Robinson’s Podcast (!)—Robinson and Steve talk about his recent book Rationality: What It Is, Why It Seems Scarce, Why It Matters (Penguin, 2022), which is linked below. More particularly, they discuss rationality’s evolutionary basis, how it is subverted by conspiratorial thinking and other dimensions of the “mythology mindset”, how it relates to enlightenment and human progress, and the state of free speech at Harvard and in the academic world at large.


Rationality: https://a.co/d/9N2uFyr


Steven’s Website: https://stevenpinker.com


Steven’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/sapinker


OUTLINE

00:00 In This Episode…

00:58 Introduction

06:31 The Importance of Rationality

10:16 The Connection Between Language and Rationality

14:18 Rationality and Human Progress

20:09 The Evolution of Rationality and Irrationality

34:08 Conspiracy Theories and the Mythology Mindset

40:13 The Madness of Crowds

49:42 Free Speech, Enlightenment, and Rationality

55:55 Free Speech Versus Social Justice

01:03:03 Academic Freedom at Harvard


Robinson’s Website: http://robinsonerhardt.com


Robinson Erhardt researches symbolic logic and the foundations of mathematics at Stanford University. Join him in conversations with philosophers, scientists, weightlifters, artists, and everyone in-between.

Jaksot(276)

250 - Norman Finkelstein: Trump, Israel, Gaza, and the Criminalization of Dissent

250 - Norman Finkelstein: Trump, Israel, Gaza, and the Criminalization of Dissent

Norman Finkelstein received his PhD from the Princeton University Politics Department, and is best known for his research on Israel and Palestine.  Norman also appeared on episodes 192, 218, 228, and ...

11 Touko 20253h

249 - Chris Hedges: Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and the Rise of American Fascism

249 - Chris Hedges: Donald Trump, Elon Musk, and the Rise of American Fascism

Chris Hedges is a Pulitzer Prize–winning author and journalist who was a foreign correspondent for fifteen years for The New York Times. He has covered numerous wars across the decades, written many b...

27 Huhti 20253h

248 - Richard Wolff: Trump, Hitler, and the End of the American Empire

248 - Richard Wolff: Trump, Hitler, and the End of the American Empire

Richard Wolff is Professor Emeritus of Economics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and a visiting professor at The New School, where he works on economics in the Marxist tradition. This is Ri...

13 Huhti 20253h 11min

247 - Garry Nolan: Aliens | The Case They’re Already Here

247 - Garry Nolan: Aliens | The Case They’re Already Here

Dr. Nolan is the Rachford and Carlota A. Harris Professor in the Department of Pathology at Stanford University School of Medicine. He has published over 350 research articles and is the holder of 50 ...

30 Maalis 20253h 22min

246 - Tim Maudlin: A Masterclass on General Relativity

246 - Tim Maudlin: A Masterclass on General Relativity

Tim Maudlin is Professor of Philosophy at NYU and Founder and Director of the John Bell Institute for the Foundations of Physics. This is Tim’s seventh appearance on the show. He last appeared on epis...

16 Maalis 20254h 22min

245 - Leonard Susskind: String Theory and the Black Hole War

245 - Leonard Susskind: String Theory and the Black Hole War

Leonard Susskind is Felix Block Professor of Physics at Stanford University. Along with other accomplishments, he is among the fathers of such revolutionary concepts in physics as string theory, black...

9 Maalis 20252h

244 - Norman Finkelstein: Donald J. Trump, Mossad Conspiracies in Israel, and the Dying Left

244 - Norman Finkelstein: Donald J. Trump, Mossad Conspiracies in Israel, and the Dying Left

Norman Finkelstein received his PhD from the Princeton University Politics Department, and is best known for his research on Israel and Palestine. In this episode, Norman and Robinson sit down for a d...

23 Helmi 20253h 42min

243 - Richard Wolff: Donald J. Trump and the Decline of the United States

243 - Richard Wolff: Donald J. Trump and the Decline of the United States

Richard Wolff is Professor Emeritus of Economics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and a visiting professor at The New School, where he works on economics in the Marxist tradition. This is Ri...

9 Helmi 20253h 40min

Suosittua kategoriassa Tiede

rss-mita-tulisi-tietaa
tiedekulma-podcast
rss-duodecim-lehti
docemilia
utelias-mieli
mielipaivakirja
rss-tervetta-skeptisyytta
rss-kasvikutsut
hippokrateen-vastaanotolla
rss-bios-podcast
rss-ranskaa-raakana
rss-poliisin-mieli
rss-ammamafia
rss-astetta-parempi-elama-podcast
rss-tiedetta-vai-tarinaa