Culture is our nature, and the ability to learn and change is our most important and fundamental instinct. Alison Gopnik abilitychangeculture Change image and share on social
Teaching is a very effective way to get children to learn something specific - this tube squeaks, say, or a squish then a press then a pull causes the music to play. But it also makes children less likely to discover unexpected information and to draw unexpected conclusions. Alison Gopnik childconclusiondiscover share on social
We have lots of evidence that putting investments in early childhood education, even evidence from very hard-nosed economists, is one of the very best investments that the society can possibly make. And yet we still don't have public support for things like preschools. Alison Gopnik childhoodearlyeconomist 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
Because we imagine, we can have invention and technology. It's actually play, not necessity, that is the mother of invention. Alison Gopnik imagineinventionmother Change image and share on social
Something like reading depends a lot on just having people around you who talk to you and read you books, more than sitting down and, say, doing a reading drill when you're 3 or 4 years old. Alison Gopnik bookdependdrill Change image and share on social
Becoming an adult means leaving the world of your parents and starting to make your way toward the future that you will share with your peers. Alison Gopnik adultfutureleave Change image and share on social
The brain knows the real secret of seduction, more effective than even music and martinis. Just keep whispering, 'Gee, you are really special' to that sack of water and protein that is a body, and you can get it to do practically anything. Alison Gopnik bodybraineffective share on social
We do nothing for children between the ages of zero and five. And we seem to be quite happy to have children growing up in not just poverty, which wouldn't be so bad, but isolation, lack of people around them, lack of support, lack of ability to go out and play in the dirt. Alison Gopnik abilityagebad share on social
If you wanted to design a robot that could learn as well as it possibly could, you might end up with something that looked a lot like a 3-year-old. Alison Gopnik designendlearn Change image and share on social
