Steven Pinker
Canadian cognitive psychologist and psycholinguist, born 1954; Johnstone Family Professor of Psychology at Harvard.
At a glance
Main ideas
Language is an instinct, Words and rules, Against the blank slate …
See all 5Books to start with
The Language Instinct, How the Mind Works, The Blank Slate …
See all 7Connections
Rebecca Goldstein, Enlightenment Now and 2 others
See all 4
Also on this page: Key facts · Links · Sources · Related pages
- Pinker is a Canadian cognitive psychologist, psycholinguist and popular science author.
- He is an advocate of evolutionary psychology and the computational theory of mind.
- His research covers visual cognition and how children acquire language.
- He has written nine books for general audiences, on language, human nature, violence, progress and reason.
Why it matters
- His books argue that language and much of the mind are shaped by natural selection, and that violence has fallen and living conditions improved; both claims are widely read and widely disputed.
Key facts
- Born
- 18 Sep 1954, Montreal, Quebec1
- Education
- Diploma of College Studies, Dawson College (1971); BA in psychology, McGill (1976); PhD in experimental psychology, Harvard (1979), under Stephen Kosslyn1
- MIT
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences from 1982 to 2003; co-directed the Center for Cognitive Science from 1985 to 19941
- Harvard
- Johnstone Family Professor of Psychology from 20031
- American Heritage Dictionary
- Chaired its Usage Panel from 2008 to 20181
- Recognition
- Named in Time's 100 most influential people in 20041
- Spouse
- Married the novelist and philosopher Rebecca Goldstein in 20071
Main ideas
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Language is an instinct1
Language is an innate faculty that evolved by natural selection as an adaptation for communication.
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Words and rules1
Language rests on memorised words plus rules for combining them; children's errors like 'breaked' show the rules at work.
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Against the blank slate4
Human behaviour is significantly shaped by evolved psychological traits, not only by culture.
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Violence has declined2
Violence of many kinds has fallen over long and short time scales, without a change in human nature.
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Reason brought progress3
Enlightenment values of reason, science and humanism have raised health, prosperity, safety and peace.
Books to start with
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The Language Instinct1
Language as an innate faculty shaped by natural selection.
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How the Mind Works1
A broad survey of the mind as a set of evolved faculties.
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Against the idea that the mind has no innate traits.
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The Better Angels of Our Nature2
The case that violence has declined, and why.
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The Sense of Style1
A writing guide informed by linguistics and psychology.
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The case that reason, science and humanism have brought progress.
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Rationality1
On the nature and importance of reason.
Connections
Links
Sources
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