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
When time permits, I try to see interesting people in the cities I visit. In Seattle, I met Paul Allen, the co-founder of Microsoft, who is shy in personality but flamboyant in his philanthropy. Steven Pinker allencityflamboyant Change image and share on social
I think that if you were to probe a lot of people's religious opinions, they would not be as religious as the numbers would suggest. Steven Pinker lotnumberopinion Change image and share on social
Human evolution, at first, seems extraordinary. How could the process that gave rise to slugs and oak trees and fish produce a creature that can fly to the moon and invent the Internet and cross the ocean in boats? Steven Pinker boatcreaturecross share on social
I'm very interested in language because it reflects our obsessions and ways of conceptualising the world. Steven Pinker conceptualiseinterestlanguage Change image and share on social
By exploring the political and moral colorings of discoveries about what makes us tick, we can have a more honest science and a less fearful intellectual milieu. Steven Pinker coloringdiscoveryexplore Change image and share on social
I've never argued that humans are massively hot-wired. What I was trying to point out was that you can't understand how we learn unless you identify the learning mechanisms. And these have some genetic basis. Steven Pinker arguebasisgenetic share on social
The 9/11 strikes left an indelible impact on our minds, but in relative terms, the scale of casualties actually wasn't all that high. Steven Pinker casualtyhighimpact Change image and share on social
Everyone's pedigree merges into everyone else's pedigree. So if you go back far enough, everyone is related. Steven Pinker backmergepedigree Change image and share on social
Words let us say the things we want to say and also things we would be better off not having said. They let us know the things we need to know, and also things we wish we didn't. Steven Pinker thingword Change image and share on social
