The Stuff of Thought, Steven Pinker
The Stuff of Thought, Steven Pinker
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The Stuff of Thought
Language as a Window into Human Nature

Author: Steven Pinker

Narrator: Dean Olsher

Abridged: 9 hr 36 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Penguin Audio

Published: 09/11/2007

Synopsis

This New York Times bestseller is an exciting and fearless investigation of language

Bestselling author Steven Pinker possesses that rare combination of scientific aptitude and verbal eloquence that enables him to provide lucid explanations of deep and powerful ideas. His previous books?including the Pulitzer Prize finalist The Blank Slate?have catapulted him into the limelight as one of today?s most important popular science writers. In The Stuff of Thought, Pinker presents a fascinating look at how our words explain our nature. Considering scientific questions with examples from everyday life, The Stuff of Thought is a brilliantly crafted and highly readable work that will appeal to fans of everything from The Selfish Gene and Blink to Eats, Shoots & Leaves.

About The Author

Steven Pinker is the Harvard College Professor of Psychology at Harvard University. A two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist and the winner of many awards for his research, teaching, and books, he has been named one of Time's 100 Most Influential People in the World Today and Foreign Policy's 100 Global Thinkers.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Jennifer on September 08, 2020

DNF: Have you heard of top-down learning vs. bottom-up learning? If not, top-down learners prefer to see the big picture before the supporting details can become meaningful, whereas bottom-up learners like to build the big picture by first understanding the details. I am a top-down learner, and this......more

Goodreads review by Miles on May 17, 2014

I am a big fan of Steven Pinker. I think he's a very smart man, and a great advocate for science and reason in the public sphere. In interviews, he's witty, informed, and able to make concise points about a vast swath of intellectual topics. His book The Blank Slate had a very significant impact on......more

Goodreads review by Dan on January 23, 2009

I am always hesitant to completely pan a book that is clearly written by someone vastly more intelligent than I, but in this case I would have to say that this book definitely did not work for me. The root of my problem with this book is that the claims and synopsis printed on the cover seem to bear......more

Goodreads review by Laura on May 27, 2020

A loquacious look at language. “Semantics is about the relation of words to thoughts, but it also about the relation of words to other human concerns. Semantics is about the relation of words to reality—the way that speakers commit themselves to a shared understanding of the truth, and the way their......more

Quotes

"Engaging and provocative...filled with humor and fun."
-Douglas Hofstadter, Los Angeles Times

"Pinker is a star, and the world of science is lucky to have him."
--Richard Dawkins

"Curious, inventive, fearless, naughty."
-New York Times Book Review

"An important and inviting book."
--Science

"There's plenty of stuff to think about, but a lot of fun stuff too."
-Boston Globe

"Fascinating."
Wired

"Unfailingly engaging to read."
--New York Review of Books

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