27. The Edge of Reason, with Dr. Steven Pinker

Dr. Steven Pinker is Johnstone Professor of Psychology at Harvard University, whose books include The Language Instinct, The Blank Slate, Enlightenment Now, and Rationality. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, a two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist, and one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People in the World. (00:00:00) In this episode(00:00:11) Intro(00:03:17) Chapter 1: Revisiting the Blank Slate (00:11:53) Chapter 2: Ideology, Progress, and Intellectual Resistance(00:21:11) Chapter 3: Is Rationality Uncool? (00:36:28) Chapter 4: Reason as a Moral Virtue(00:45:30) Chapter 5: Our Mismatch with the Modern World(00:52:12) Chapter 6: AI, Music, and Constructive OptimismFor more podcasts, check out https://fredpinto.com/podcast or subscribe to Fred's Substack.