Part of the bargain of being alive is that one takes a chance at dying a premature or painful death, be it from violence, accident, or disease. Steven Pinker accidentalivebargain Change image and share on social
Academics lack perspective. In a debate on whether the world is round, they would argue, 'No,' because it's an oblate spheroid. They suffer from 'the curse of knowledge': the inability to imagine what it's like not to know something that they know. Steven Pinker academicarguecurse share on social
I would argue that nothing gives life more purpose than the realization that every moment of consciousness is a precious and fragile gift. Steven Pinker argueconsciousnessfragile 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
I do look for openings where I can overturn popular misconceptions, but unlike Christopher Hitchens, I am neither a contrarian nor a lone heretic. I like to have a significant number of academics watching my back. Steven Pinker academicbackchristopher share on social
People today sometimes get uncomfortable with empirical claims that seem to clash with their political assumptions, often because they haven't given much thought to the connections. Steven Pinker assumptionclaimclash Change image and share on social
Pre-state societies were far more violent than our own. Steven Pinker presocietystate Change image and share on social
Like the early days of the Internet, the dawn of personal genomics promises benefits and pitfalls that no one can foresee. Steven Pinker benefitdawnday Change image and share on social
One of the things that people complain about is loneliness, disconnectedness. If you live in a society where your life is rarely threatened and most of your relationships are more on an economic exchange basis, then this could leave people feeling less connected. Steven Pinker basiscomplainconnect 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