The art of photography is all about directing the attention of the viewer. Steven Pinker artattentiondirect Change image and share on social
Violent movements attract thugs and firebrands who enjoy the mayhem. Violent tactics provide a pretext for retaliation by the enemy and alienate third parties who might otherwise support the movement. Steven Pinker alienateattractenemy Change image and share on social
The decline of violence isn't a steady inclined plane from an original state of maximal and universal bloodshed. Technology, ideology, and social and cultural changes periodically throw out new forms of violence for humanity to contend with. Steven Pinker bloodshedcontendcultural share on social
A hostility to modernity is shared by ideologies that have nothing else in common - a nostalgia for moral clarity, small-town intimacy, family values, primitive communism, ecological sustainability, communitarian solidarity, or harmonies with the rhythms of nature. Steven Pinker claritycommoncommunism share on social
We know about every massacre that has taken place close to the present, but the ones in the distant past are like trees falling in the forest with no one to hear them. Steven Pinker closedistantfall Change image and share on social
My opinions about human nature are shared by many psychologists, linguists, and biologists, not to mention philosophers and scholars going back centuries. Steven Pinker backbiologistcentury Change image and share on social
I teach classes 28 weeks of the year, but the rest of the time I do research and write books. While I'm writing a book, which I probably do two out of every three years, it's like having a second job. I squeeze in the hours when I can. Steven Pinker bookclasshour share on social
Evolution is an indispensable component of any satisfying explanation of our psychology. Steven Pinker componentevolutionexplanation Change image and share on social
Language is a window into human nature, but it is also a fistula, an open wound through which we're exposed to an infectious world. Steven Pinker exposefistulahuman Change image and share on social
Roads, better harnesses for horses, time-keeping devices, financial instruments like a currency that was recognized everywhere in the kingdom, enforceable contracts - all of this made commerce more appealing than plunder. Steven Pinker appealcommercecontract share on social