Steven Pinker
Canadian-American cognitive scientist and psychologist whose The Language Instinct argued that language is a biological adaptation. The Better Angels of Our Nature marshalled massive data to argue that violence has declined throughout history. He is one of the most influential public intellectuals of his generation.
Works
- The Language InstinctArgument that language is an innate biological faculty shaped by evolution
- How the Mind WorksEvolutionary psychology explanation of thought, emotion, vision, and behavior
- The Better Angels of Our NatureHistorical evidence that violence has declined dramatically over human history
- Enlightenment NowArgument that progress, reason, and science are advancing human flourishing
- The Blank SlateRebuttal to blank slate theory of human nature, emphasizing evolutionary biology