logo
episode-header-image
Jan 2022
42m 11s

The Problem With Trying To Be Rational -...

Chris Williamson
About this episode
Steven Pinker is a Cognitive Psychologist at Harvard University, a psycholinguist and a Best Selling Author. It would be nice to always make the right decision. To escape the prison of human emotions and biases and operate from a purely rational place. Steven's new book breaks down rationality into it's components in an attempt to understand just what we're ... Show More
Up next
Yesterday
Why Almost Nobody Gets The Life They Want - Jett Franzen - #1130
Jett Franzen is a writer and YouTuber. What holds people back? Is it their mindset, environment, or circumstances? One overlooked factor is the ability to be alone. Solitude can build clarity and resilience, but too much can be destructive. So when is being alone a superpower, an ... Show More
1h 59m
Jul 27
The Painful Psychological Cost Of Becoming A Dad - Darby Saxbe - #1129
Dr Darby Saxbe is a clinical psychologist, professor at USC, and author. Do dads get postpartum depression? Mothers face enormous physical and emotional changes after childbirth, but fathers can struggle too, often in silence. So what happens to men when they become dads, why doe ... Show More
1h 34m
Jul 25
Polyvagal Theory: Why You Feel So Anxious All The Time - Dr Stephen Porges - #1128
Dr Stephen Porges is a neuroscientist & psychologist. Why does your nervous system always feel on edge? When everything feels like a threat, your body may be stuck in survival mode. So what keeps your nervous system on high alert, and how can you finally teach it to feel safe aga ... Show More
1h 53m
Recommended Episodes
Nov 2021
593: Steven Pinker | Why Rationality Seems Scarce
Steven Pinker (@sapinker) is a psychology professor at Harvard, one of the world's leading authorities on language and the mind, and an author of several bestsellers. His latest is Rationality: What It Is, Why It Seems Scarce, Why It Matters. What We Discuss with Steven Pinker: W ... Show More
1h 4m
Oct 2021
Steven Pinker || Why Rationality Matters
Today it’s great to have Steven Pinker on the podcast. Dr. Pinker is the Johnstone professor of psychology at Harvard University. A two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist and the winner of many awards for his research, teaching, and books. He’s been elected to the National Academy of S ... Show More
1h 5m
Dec 2021
#1743 - Steven Pinker
Steven Pinker is the Harvard College Professor of Psychology at Harvard University. His newest book, "Rationality: What It Is, Why It Seems Scarce, Why It Matters," is available now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices 
2h 44m
Jul 2024
Is This the Death of Harvard? - Steven Pinker
Steven Pinker is a Canadian-American cognitive psychologist, psycholinguist, popular science author and Harvard College Professor. One of the world's leading authorities on language and the mind, he is an advocate of evolutionary psychology and the computational theory of mind. P ... Show More
1h 2m
Nov 2022
Steven Pinker
Claudia Hammond meets cognitive scientist and author Steven Pinker. He describes the times we are living in as a pandemic of poppycock and has advice on how to be more rational. 
28m 3s
Aug 2019
Progress, Despite Everything
Steven Pinker returns for a conversation with Dr. Jordan B. Peterson. Steven Arthur Pinker is a Canadian-American cognitive psychologist, linguist, and popular science author. He is a professor in the Department of Psychology at Harvard University, and is known for his advocacy o ... Show More
2h 5m
Sep 2021
RATIONALITY: Steven Pinker’s Love Song to Critical Thinking
In his new book, “Rationality: What It Is, Why It Seems Scarce, Why It Matters,” Steven Pinker writes: “When humans set themselves the goal of improving the welfare of their fellows … and they apply their ingenuity in institutions that pool it with others’, they occasionally succ ... Show More
1h 2m
Oct 2025
When to Say What You Think (And When Not To) with Harvard Psychologist Steven Pinker
Pre-order our brand new book Micro-Habits and use code MICROHABITS26 for 25% off before the launch on 1st January. https://hppod.co/472Og7qWhat makes great communicators stand out isn’t confidence, charisma, or talent, it’s clarity.In this episode, cognitive scientist and Harvard ... Show More
33m 41s
Oct 2018
Steven Pinker: AI in the Age of Reason
Steven Pinker is a professor at Harvard and before that was a professor at MIT. He is the author of many books, several of which have had a big impact on the way I see the world for the better. In particular, The Better Angels of Our Nature and Enlightenment Now have instilled in ... Show More
38m 23s