Steven Pinker

speaker

755 appearances 2 recordings 2 series first heard Aug 2025 last heard 23 Jan

Steven Pinker’s voice in public audio — every appearance, attributed to the second.

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Recordings per month over the last 12 months — 1 in all, peaking in Jan 2026 with 1.

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StarTalk with Neil deGrasse Tyson · What Everyone Knows You Know with Steven Pinker · 23 Jan 2026 podcast

And they've never been explored from a psychological point of view.

Now, why is it significant?

The reason that it's important is that common knowledge is necessary for

coordination.

That is for two people being on the same page doing things that benefit them both as long as each one can expect the other one to do it.

Well, civilization does depend on institutions like government, like money.

The reason it's in the subtitle is the only reason that a piece of paper with Abraham Lincoln on it is valuable is because other people treat it as valuable.

Now, why do they treat it as valuable?

Well, because they know that other people will treat it as valuable.

That's what makes it a currency.

Likewise for power.

There's no way a government can intimidate every last member of its citizenry.

Give it time.

I'm working on it.

I recognize the impression.

But the government has power.

A president is a president, and a governor is a governor, and the chairman of the board is the chairman of the board, because everyone treats them as if they are.

It's a social reality.

Our corporations, our religions, our gods, our conventions, even language itself, what makes the word rose beautiful?

refer to a rose, it would smell just as sweet by any other name.

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