Steven Pinker
Harvard Psychologist | Rational Optimism & Human Progress
About
Steven Pinker is a renowned cognitive psychologist and linguist at Harvard University. His bestselling books like 'The Better Angels of Our Nature' and 'Enlightenment Now' have transformed public understanding of human nature, violence, and technological progress.
Pinker's data-driven analysis and engaging storytelling have earned him praise as one of the world's foremost public intellectuals. His keynotes provide a scientific perspective on the human condition, empowering audiences to navigate an increasingly complex world with reason and optimism.
Talks5
Is the world getting better or worse? A look at the numbers
Was 2017 really the "worst year ever," as some would have us believe? In his analysis of recent data on homicide, war, poverty, pollution and more, psychologist Steven Pinker finds that we're doing better now in every one of them when compared with 30 years ago. But progress isn't inevitable, and it doesn't mean everything gets better for everyone all the time, Pinker says. Instead, progress is problem-solving, and we should look at things like climate change and nuclear war as problems to be solved, not apocalypses in waiting. "We will never have a perfect world, and it would be dangerous to seek one," he says. "But there's no limit to the betterments we can attain if we continue to apply knowledge to enhance human flourishing."
The surprising decline in violence
What our language habits reveal
More Talks
Human nature and the blank slate
How Common Knowledge Shapes the World
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