Cognitive scientist at Harvard.
Boston, MA
Joined January 2010
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Worth watching: "It is not a genocide; it is a counterattack in a war."
This should be pushed far and wide. Watched in every college class in the U.S. Thank you @billmaher The moral confusion is gross. "It is not a genocide, it is a counterattack in a war...Gaza equals genocide is a lie, an easily provable lie (as I have argued from first hand observations in Gaza). The fact that so many democrats go along with it is to me the party's worse moment since they undid reconstruction after the civil war...words have meaning...genocide, kill or try to kill an entire people, you can't just change the definition of genocide to mean counterattack in a war where people including civilians die, that's every war..."
Steven Pinker retweeted
Next week, about 550 free speech advocates and thought leaders will descend on Philadelphia for @TheFIREorg's first-ever Soapbox conference.
Believe it or not, in FIRE's 27-year history, we've never hosted a general-audience free speech conference. We've hosted student and faculty conferences, but nothing like this. We figured the 250th anniversary of American independence was as fitting a time as any to give it a try.
We had no idea what to expect. Would anyone buy tickets? Conference experts told us most tickets are sold in the weeks leading up to an event. Instead, we sold out two months in advance!
America's free speech movement is growing, and its members are eager to meet one another.
I'll deliver the opening keynote, "The Fight for Free Speech," a nod to the title of the ACLU's first annual report in 1921. The talk will summarize the story I tell in my forthcoming book: how civil libertarians fought to make the promise of the First Amendment a reality.
Other speakers include @nickgillespie, @LarryLessig, @prestonjbyrne, @ENBrown, @CaseyMattox_, @chrisbest, @RosenJeffrey, @FreeRangeKids, @sapinker, @Musa_alGharbi, @marcorandazza, @AdamThierer, @DavidAFrench, @whignewtons, the @wethefifth guys, @ishapiro, @noam_dworman, @JohnHMcWhorter, @mtaibbi, and many, many more.
I can't wait to see you all next week. And if you can't make it, I hope to see you at the next one. Just be sure to get your tickets early!
soapbox.fire.org/soapbox/110…
Steven Pinker retweeted
I joined the APA as a postdoc, and resigned a few years ago. This article explains why: The Inmates Run the Asylum at the Psychological Association by @SwipeWright and @Hartz_PhD wsj.com/opinion/the-inmates-… via @WSJopinion
Steven Pinker retweeted
Blocksmart is back with a new episode featuring bestselling author and public intellectual @sapinker.
How does common knowledge shape society, money, and blockchains? And what can AI teach us about the human brain?
We dive into it all in the second episode of Blocksmart 👇
0:00 - Intro: Steve Pinker
0:49 - Common knowledge
5:57 - Blockchain & social consensus
9:40 - Blockchain’s social innovations
12:27 - Making blockchain common knowledge
15:13 - Making science popular
21:46 - AI, LLMs & the human brain
28:25 - Quick-fire
31:25 - Parting thoughts
Steven Pinker retweeted
Over 400 people have registered for our Defend the West conference!
WHEN: 1/13/2027
WHERE: Online (free)
Speakers include:
@DavidDFriedman
@sapinker
@SRCHicks
@yaronbrook
@alananewhouse
@johanknorberg
@DeirdreMcClosk
@michaelshermer
@ToKTeacher
@jasoncrawford
Nadine Strossen
Save your spot (link below)
Steven Pinker retweeted
I will be lecturing, debating, and conversing with the audience in San Francisco on January 30th.
More information and tickets at pang-burn.com/tickets
Steven Pinker retweeted
5 Days of Pro-Democracy Triumphs theprogressnetwork.substack.…
Steven Pinker retweeted
Rebecca Goldstein's The Mattering Instinct named one of the Best Books of 2026 by Publishers Weekly. best-books.publishersweekly.…
Steven Pinker retweeted
"Evolution does not need a rebuild, and The Selfish Gene is not outmoded. It remains...a page-turner." Nathaniel Comfort's misguided take on The Selfish Gene at 50 whyevolutionistrue.com/2026/…
I will be lecturing, debating, and conversing with the audience in San Francisco on January 30th.
More information and tickets at pang-burn.com/tickets
Steven Pinker retweeted
Worth watching: "It is not a genocide; it is a counterattack in a war."
This should be pushed far and wide. Watched in every college class in the U.S. Thank you @billmaher The moral confusion is gross. "It is not a genocide, it is a counterattack in a war...Gaza equals genocide is a lie, an easily provable lie (as I have argued from first hand observations in Gaza). The fact that so many democrats go along with it is to me the party's worse moment since they undid reconstruction after the civil war...words have meaning...genocide, kill or try to kill an entire people, you can't just change the definition of genocide to mean counterattack in a war where people including civilians die, that's every war..."
Steven Pinker retweeted
The Spirit of Democracy Remains Strong open.substack.com/pub/persua…
AI could push back against public irrationality like conspiracy theories, fake news, & medical quackery. Whereas social media optimize for sheer engagement (clicks, likes, & reposts), AI is sold as a useful product that aids decision-making in the real world. For all the problems of LLMs, they're less likely to send users down a conspiratorial rabbit hole. This may restore the influence of epistemically responsible expertise. So argues the philosopher Dan Williams @danwilliamsphil open.substack.com/pub/persua…
"Evolution does not need a rebuild, and The Selfish Gene is not outmoded. It remains...a page-turner." Nathaniel Comfort's misguided take on The Selfish Gene at 50 whyevolutionistrue.com/2026/…
Steven Pinker retweeted
"It's a smokescreen" - this is how Steven Pinker sees AI founders' existential threats.
" They've been much less willing to face up to the responsibility of let's make sure that this doesn't result in bioterrorism..."
Listen to The New Society wherever you get your podcasts.
Steven Pinker retweeted
Why do police states squelch protests, and what does this have to do with common knowledge? Find out this and much more in this week's episode with Steven Pinker (@sapinker), wherever you get your podcasts.