A Rational Look at Irrationality: Steven Pinker

Renowned cognitive scientist and author Steven Pinker explains the link between rationality and progress, and reminds us how we can take advantage of the powerful tools of reasoning that our species has discovered over the millennia

[willyjohnsons_member]

After a run through various youtube rabbit holes, a Steven Pinker speech always gives me hope.

[davidregen]

Our desire for community exceeds our thirst for truth. Hence the abuse of social media.

[bradsillasen]

If I were to introduce someone to Pinker's wisdom, this is the lecture I'd choose. It should be mandatory viewing for everyone on the planet. The modern complement to The Sermon on the Mount.

[Kingsofsky-hihs]

More of such Great thinkers and their rational

[slothsloth]

It seems to be implied from Steven Pinker that we need to know the basics of philosophy

[PopArtificer]

Brilliant as always! Steven Pinker never disappoints.

[polanve]

I have been reading "The Gilded Age" by Mark Twain. Distrust in institutions of government, science, and journalism was them, and is now well earned. I didn't think you can address this distrust without reviewing the studies history of governments, media corporations and business interests in lying for profit. For example, big tobacco, 3M and PFAS, the Gulf of Tonkin, etc. etc. etc.

[glenncurry]

I was actively involved with trying to bring Critical Thinking classes into K-12 public schools in the '80's. Initial successes always went down the same path. Local parents first were very interested in getting their kids taught how to think rationally and logically. Until little Johnny or Janie came home and started asking those embarrassing questions about long held family beliefs, religion, authority, .... Then the classes were as quickly shut down. You don't even hear about such efforts anymore!

[cescu]

Where can you find these biases, is there a book to learn logic? I found one with some sort of circles. Is that it? I found no biases there.

[Mr.Puppet_]

Always a pleasure to be in touch with Pinker's sound reasoning and rethorical smoothness! Time to read some of his books now.

[jimjackson]

He didn’t mention that old time religion in the irrational section.

[bobs]

Wikipedia's biggest weakness is articles concerning anything related to products and services for sale are skewed by the entities that sale them.

[nicholastregenza]

Thrilling clarity! We need more of this. Thank you!

[makedaily]

I'm genuinely enthralled by your video! - "Obstacles are the building blocks of growth..."

[sankaraishaya]

I came to this video from another Steve did which was brilliant. The thing that scares me the most is the possibility of peasants with pitchforks and torches burning down civilization. What scares me almost as much is a video like this one. What hear Steve say here is whatever I don't have evidence for doesn't exist and there is something wrong with anyone who disagrees. If you want to incite a mob to riot just stand up in front of them and try that line of reasoning.
My father was an engineer. I was to be an engineer. But about half way through my studies I had the first of four we are not in Kansas anymore Toto experiences that broke my certainty of how things are. So I know how badly a person needs their world view to be right. It is unbelievable painful to be set adrift in that way. You are asking the peasants to make that kind of shift. Not going to happen that way.
I am fascinated by near death experiences lately. My question to you is this: what is acceptable evidence? If many hundreds people say to you I had this experience and many of them can report to their doctors what the doctors were doing while the patient was flat lined, what do you do? Throw it all out because it doesn't fit what you are sure is true?
A little bit of openness and humility might make it easier to have the conversations needed to lower the risk of collapse from ignorance.

[arthurwieczorek]

Rationality in Service of Bias, calling themselves the RSB.

[djayjp]

Should be mandatory teaching in high school.

[louiselincoln]

You know, I find some of this extremely interesting, and also incorrect. Many "air brained" irrational beliefs do have some (and I emphasise some, not all) rational basis.
For example, all of our pharmaceuticals did come originally from herbal remedies.
A few drops of yeast in warm water and sugar will multiply and transform the liquid from what we would define and perceive as water into a substance we can then use for fermentation purposes. I think all humans have a concept of the difference between 'living' and 'non-living' (although of course that boundary can get a bit blurry when looking at prions and viruses etc.).
It also seems incorrect to describe 'fasting' as an 'air brained' concept - it is part of weight management and can also be an effective cure for type 2 diabetes and many weight-related diseases...hardly an 'air brained' concept. It works and has been proven to do so.
I think Pinker is barking up the wrong tree here. The irrationality is not necessarily in the social behaviour and observations that Pinker describes here - they seem more like symptoms.
In effect, it's in over-extrapolation without using the scientific method to deduce the accuracy of the hypotheses (ironically, what Pinker is also doing here by describing symptoms of irrationality rather than causes).
Even the most intelligent scientists, doctors, intellectuals and leaders are not in any sense completely rational. We access rationality by learning from our mistakes or misdiagnosis (both in our own lives and through intergenerational learning, history, studying philosophy and science, mathematics etc.) .
I am personally glad we are not entirely rational. That would seem like a very boring, robotic world indeed.

[RS-jpwg]

He is positive, not by philosophical theory, but by the numerical theory of physics.

[martinze]

Charles Dickenss it best :

It was the best of times, and the worst of times.