Why the Polycrisis Is a Statistical Anomaly: The Willful Delusions of the World’s Leading Pseudointellectual
Meet Steven Pinker whose denial of limits increases the likelihood of his worst fear: the end of the Enlightenment. Please share this episode with your friends and start a conversation.
For an entertaining deep dive into the theme of season five (Phalse Prophets), read the definitive peer-reviewed taxonomic analysis from our very own Jason Bradford, PhD.
Sources/Links/Notes:
- David Marchese, "Steven Pinker Thinks Your Sense of Imminent Doom Is Wrong" in The New York Times Magazine (2021).
- The Work that Reconnects Network
- Good Grief Network
- Three relevant past episodes of Crazy Town are episode 39 on the myth of progress, episode 35 on self-domestication, and episode 34 on terror management theory.
- "Steven Pinker: The Mind Reader" in The Guardian (1999).
- Robert Wright, "The 2004 Time 100" in Time Magazine (2004).
- Nick Gillespie, "Steven Pinker Loves the Enlightenment" in Reason Magazine (2018).
- David A. Bell, "Waiting for Steven Pinker’s enlightenment" in The Nation (2018).
- Emile Torres, "Steven Pinker’s fake enlightenment" in Salon (2019).
- Robert Epstein, "Book Review: The Better Angels of Our Nature" in Scientific American (2011).
- Tyler Cowen, "Steven Pinker on Language, Reason, and the Future of Violence," Mercatus Center (2016).
- Mike Freiheit and Lyta Gold, "Comic: Steven Pinker--Certified Grief Counselor" in Current Affairs 2018).
- George Monbiot, "Contrary to Reason" in The Guardian (2018).
- Alex Blasdel, "Pinker's progress: the celebrity scientist at the centre of the culture wars" in The Guardian (2021).
Activity