I wanted to answer big questions about humanity, about how it is that we understand about the world, how we can know as much as we do, why human nature is the way that it is. And it always seemed to me that you find answers to those questions by looking at children. Alison Gopnik answerbigchild share on social
Children have a very good idea of how to distinguish between fantasies and realities. It's just they are equally interested in exploring both. Alison Gopnik childdistinguishequally Change image and share on social
We fear death so profoundly, not because it means the end of our body, but because it means the end of our consciousness - better to be a spirit in Heaven than a zombie on Earth. Alison Gopnik bodyconsciousnessdeath Change image and share on social
On the Web we all become small-town visitors lost in the big city. Alison Gopnik bigcitylose Change image and share on social
What teenagers want most of all are social rewards, especially the respect of their peers. Alison Gopnik peerrespectreward Change image and share on social
If you just casually look at a baby, it doesn't look like there's very much going on there, but they know more and learn more than we would ever have thought. Every single minute is incredibly full of thought and novelty. It's easy as adults to take for granted everything it took to arrive at the state where we are. Alison Gopnik adultarrivebaby share on social
If parents are the fixed stars in the child's universe, the vaguely understood, distant but constant celestial spheres, siblings are the dazzling, sometimes scorching comets whizzing nearby. Alison Gopnik celestialchildcomet Change image and share on social
I'm afraid the parenting advice to come out of developmental psychology is very boring: pay attention to your kids and love them. Alison Gopnik adviceafraidattention Change image and share on social
What happens when children reach puberty earlier and adulthood later? The answer is: a good deal of teenage weirdness. Alison Gopnik adulthoodanswerchild Change image and share on social
One of the most distinctive evolutionary features of human beings is our unusually long, protected childhood. Alison Gopnik beingchildhooddistinctive Change image and share on social