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Quote by Steven Pinker

“You wouldn't believe the kind of hate mail I get about my work on irregular verbs.”

Quote by Steven Pinker

Author

Steven Pinker is a renowned cognitive psychologist, linguist, and author. His research focuses on language, cognition, and human behavior, particularly the relationship between language and thought. Pinker is known for his in-depth research on the evolution of language and his contributions to the field of cognitive science. more

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“As every student in Philosophy 101 learns, nothing can force me to believe that anyone except me is conscious. This power to deny that other people have feelings is not just an academic exercise but an all-too-common vice, as we see in the long history of human cruelty.”

People Believe Humans Long Philosophy Feelings Force Common Emotion Students Exercise Conscious Vices Deny Cruelty Academic Human Cruelty

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“Consciousness turns out to consist of a maelstrom of events distributed across the brain. These events compete for attention, and as one process outshouts the others, the brain rationalizes the outcome after the fact and concocts the impression that a single self was in charge all along.”

Self Facts Turns Process Attention Brain Consciousness Events Impression Outcomes Rationalize Maelstrom

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“If the myth of pure evil is that evil is committed with the intention of causing harm and an absence of moral considerations, then it applies to very few acts of so-called 'pure evil' because most evildoers believe what they are doing is forgivable or justifiable.”

Ifs Believe Evil Moral Pure Intention Committed Harm Myth Absence Consideration Pure Evil

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“People today sometimes get uncomfortable with empirical claims that seem to clash with their political assumptions, often because they haven't given much thought to the connections.”

People Sometimes Seems Today Political Given Havens Connections Claims Uncomfortable Assumption Clash

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“Broadly speaking, the Southern and Western desert and mountain states will vote for the candidate who endorses an aggressive military, a role for religion in public life, laissez-faire economic policies, private ownership of guns and relaxed conditions for using them, less regulation and taxation, and a valorization of the traditional family.”

“Gossip is certainly one of the things that language is useful for, because it's always handy to know who needs a favor, who can offer a favor, who's available, who's under the protection of a jealous spouse. And being the first to get a piece of gossip is like engaging in insider trading: You can capitalize on an opportunity before anyone else can.”

Knows Needs Firsts Opportunity Language Pieces Offers Available Protection Favors Gossip Jealous Spouse Engaging Trading Handy Insiders Insider Trading

Author:Steven Pinker

“I think that communism was a major force for violence for more than 100 years, because it was built into its ideology - that progress comes through class struggle, often violent.”

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“I think the reason that swearing is both so offensive and so attractive is that it is a way to push people's emotional buttons, and especially their negative emotional buttons. Because words soak up emotional connotations and are processed involuntarily by the listener, you can't will yourself not to treat the word in terms of what it means.”

People Thinking Way Mean Reason Term Emotional Negative Treats Attractive Buttons Listeners Offensive Swearing Connotation

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“Morality is not just any old topic in psychology but close to our conception of the meaning of life. Moral goodness is what gives each of us the sense that we are worthy human beings.”

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“Parents provide their children with genes as well as an environment, so the fact that talkative parents have kids with good language skills could simply mean that and that the same genes that make parents talkative make children articulate.”

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Author:Steven Pinker