I spoke on Human Rationality and Academic Freedom at the Dissident Dialogues event in New York this year. Drawing from my book, Rationality: What It Is, Why It Seems Scarce, Why It Matters, I explore why rational thinking is essential yet slowly becoming elusive in our society.
Today we have what Dan Kahan calls expressive rationality which is allegiance to ... Show More
Nov 2022
Enlightenment Now (S1 EP20)
In his latest and last episode of the series, Steven Pinker discusses his magisterial book, Enlightenment Now. According to Steven, humanism, reason, and science—the three pillars of enlightenment, has historically fueled enormous advancement in virtually every facet of life and ... Show More
8m 43s
Nov 2022
Why Do We Deny The Existence of Human Nature? (S1 EP18)
On the latest episode of ‘The Life Of The Mind’, Steven discusses his most controversial book, The Blank Slate, the fabric of which is human nature's moral, political and emotional colorings. He also touches on the numerous aspects of human nature including fear, morality, and fi ... Show More
11m 23s
Mar 2024
Think For Yourself: Breaking Out Of Indoctrination
It was my pleasure to speak with American cosmologist and professor of physics Janna Levin, about a range of subjects around religion, morality and improving public scientific literacy. How does our society rob children of the right to truth, by indoctrinating them into their bel ... Show More
48m 39s
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
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
Nov 2017
The Perilous State of the University - Jonathan Haidt
I recently traveled to New York University to talk with Dr. Jonathan Haidt about, among other things, disgust, purity, fear and belief; the perilous state of the modern university; and his work with Heterodox Academy (https://heterodoxacademy.org/) an organization designed to dra ... Show More
1h 40m