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Understanding Human Nature with Steven Pinker – Conversations with History

University of California Television (UCTV)



(Visit: http://www.uctv.tv) Conversations host Harry Kreisler welcomes Harvard’s Steven Pinker, Johnstone Family Professor of Psychology, for a discussion of his intellectual journey. Pinker discusses the origins and evolution of his thinking on human nature. Topics include: growing up in Montreal in a Jewish family, the impact of the 1960s, his education, and the trajectory of his research interests. He explains his early work in linguistics and how he came to write his recent work, The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined. In the conversation, Pinker describes the importance of interdisciplinary research and analyzes creativity. He concludes with a discussion of how science can contribute to the humanities and offers advice to students on how to prepare for the future. Recorded on 02/04/2014. Series: “Conversations with History” [4/2014] [Humanities] [Show ID: 27968]

University of California Television (UCTV)

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40 thoughts on “Understanding Human Nature with Steven Pinker – Conversations with History”

  2. The truth is this. Humanity is evolving into one or other. I call this "Final Destination" . That is to say that humanity at the end will evolve to being a pure good soul or pure evil soul.

  3. Canadians…hard to imagine, despite all the Harvard and MIT can offer, could ever teach a Canadian how normal people think. I can say this because I had to hear years of anti-american abuse from them. French Canada at that, and I doubt he could read Camus.

  4. Listen, Americans should be very cautious of Canadians. Don't get me wrong, they are very good people through and through, but they do not like Americans at the core. We should always be very suspicious of this as Americans. DONT TRUST CANADIANS

  10. He is just one of those smart baby-boomers who have become leading professors and intellectuals. The baby boomers are not only "Woodstock", they form the elite of the societies of US and Europe. I am full of awe for this generation.

  16. Thats what's wrong with America, too many of you fkg inbred you know what!
    The first words out to their mouths is jew this & jew that! Imagine a world where they didn't exist!

  17. What a wonderful conversation. I’ve listened to many of Prof. Pinker’s talks over the years and I always find him fascinating, lucid, and through provoking. Glad I found this one also.

  18. Everything humans does is essentially a part of their nature. You can't just cherry pick a certain aspect of their behavior and call that "natural" or "nature". It's all of it, both good and bad. Then you can argue that there are some bad traits to that "nature" or there are some good traits, and point them out, but essentially every little single thing we do is a part of our "nature". This is how we are designed, and it's very complex, it's something we won't understand anytime soon.

  20. at 28:30 Prof. Pinker claims that he acts as if it's best to respect the people in the other field when your research takes you in that direction. Look for their blunders. I'd like to know how Prof. Pinker does this, given that the Harvard Library collection is smaller than what can be attained through Online Libraries in gray and black markets. Give us something on your research methods for secondary research, please.

  21. 46:25 ; ' what is obvious to you is not obvious to those you are relating 'it' to.
    Mr. Pinker has, in this statemen,t made it obvious that he completely understands : ' the biggest flaw in communication is the ILLUSION that it has happened '.
    Be as articulate as you can and listen as closely as you can . And even if you are sure you ' get it ' , do it again etc. !

  22. Pinker tinkers dangerously, silly re violence supposed decline—his sources faulty, results foolish, inferences fanciful, conclusions perverse.

  28. I'd love to know how much of the reduction of violence is due to humans "becoming better" and how much is just due to people spending more of their time inside on the internet and video game systems and the overal reduction in virility due to things like endocrine disruptiors or selection for mates of less dimorphism.

  30. Umm… sorry, but what was wrong with apartheid and slavery? Everyone concerned was better off under these systems. Can we put the breaks on the PC machine for just one fucking moment and get practical??

  32. I did enjoy Pinker's narrative. But at the end, it's the same old problem..which is Deal with the Present in the Hopes of Changing the Future. There are very few people who want to do that, and/or have the endurance for it. And those people typically have such a narrow view of things because they are so heavy into education and intellect that they cant see the forest for the trees.

    I believe more than anything, for whatever reason, people desire even need to be a part of something greater than themselves. Why else would anyone fight in a war? At the current moment crime may be dow , but depression and anxiety are not. And in my opinion that is because there isnt something for people to latch on to. Religion is fading. Theres no global crisis. No world war. And thats good. But because of our long history of it all, now we are wandering around without a goal and without an inclusiveness because of the lack of war and global crisis.

    Hopefully that made sense.

  36. I might be reading this wrong but he says in one sentence that he doesn't support ethnic political action but then he says he support Zionism which is just that?

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