What Everyone Knows You Know with Steven Pinker
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Finally got Steven Pinker. I know. Okay, yes, we're going to learn all about how the brain is messed up. We don't need him for that. Coming up, the latest from the mind of Steven Pinker on StarTalk. Welcome to StarTalk, your place in the universe where science and pop culture collide. StarTalk begins right now. This is StarTalk Special Edition. Neil deGrasse Tyson here. You're a personal astrophysicist. And when you hear special edition, that means we have Gary in the house. Hey, Neil. How you doing, Gary? I'm good. Chuckie baby. That's right. How you doing, man? I'm doing great. So today, we're talking about common knowledge.
Yes.
Common knowledge? But why is that interesting?
If we think about it, we humans have evolved to be social creatures, and we rely upon each other for many things. We use language to communicate and coordinate ourselves. But do we consciously strategize in our social behavior, and are we aware of our own signaling when we interact? And to your point, what role does common knowledge play in our everyday lives?
I mean, I depend on that all the time, just as an educator.
Fine, but a lot of people won't realize that it is something they're using as a tool. Some people will, as you do. And does it then play a role in the big ticket items like financial crashes or political revolutions? Now, okay, I can drone on. I've said enough. Let's introduce our guest.
We're going to connect common knowledge to revolutions.
Let's see.
Okay. Okay, we've got the world's expert on that topic. Yes. Sitting right here. Well, thanks guys.
I appreciate that.
Camera, pan left.
How does common knowledge influence our social interactions?
Steven Pinker. Oh, we met Steven.
Steven Pinker, welcome to StarTalk. Thank you. My gosh, we go way back. We do. Decades. This, I think, is your first time on StarTalk. Bad oversight on our part because there's no reason for that. You're too active. Your stuff you work on is too interesting for it to have gone this long without you being on. So thank you. Better late. And I just have to ask up top, are you still winning the best hair for a scientist contest every year?
Oh, I don't know if the luxuriant flowing hair club for scientists is still active.
That's what it was called?
Luxuriant flowing hair club for scientists.
That means it had no black people in it.
I think it did, actually. There are some impressive dreadlocks. You can dread your way in. There are some pretty amazing afros out there, too. It's a pretty cool club. This is a project of the respected scientific outlet, the Journal of Irreproducible Results.
Oh, good. We should do a whole episode on them at one point. And the Ig Nobel Prizes.
I've never won one, but I'm...
That's great. So you are a cognitive psychologist. I think that's what they call you. Do I remember you being a linguist, though, long ago?
I'm not a professional linguist, but I'm kind of a psycholinguist, which is the psychology of language, which is a branch of cognitive psychology.
That's how I first met you and knew your work.
But for me, language is just one of the amazing things the human mind does. So I don't have a PhD in linguistics, but in cognitive psychology.
Got it, got it. And I have got you here as the John Stone Family Professor of Psychology at Harvard University. So are you in the famous building, the psychology building there?
William James Hall. William James Hall. The 15-story white building. Yeah. Sticking out like a sore thumb in a... Cambridge Residential Neighborhood.
I got you down here for a dozen books. Several of them are some of my favorite books. You know, The Blank Slate, which had its own bit of controversy, but it was fun to see an intelligent argument presented into that space.
What role does common knowledge play in financial systems?
The Better Angels of Our Nature. Oh, my gosh. That's very funny, yeah. It has the two words common knowledge in the title. In the subtitle. Subtitle.
So give me the full up title. So the title of the book is When Everyone Knows That Everyone Knows... And there's a story behind that. The subtitle is Common Knowledge and the Mysteries of Money, Power, and Everyday Life. Whoa. And I can explain all of those things.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:00–1:57
2
How does common knowledge influence our social interactions?
1:57–3:57
3
What role does common knowledge play in financial systems?
3:57–5:45
4
How does common knowledge affect political dynamics?
5:45–8:42
5
What examples illustrate the importance of common knowledge?
8:42–12:26
6
How does humor relate to common knowledge?
12:26–15:17
7
What are the consequences of distorted common knowledge?
15:17–18:10
8
How can we foster civil discourse in a polarized society?
18:10–54:29