Steven Pinker
Steven Pinker is a cognitive psychologist, linguist and popular science author who’s known for his research on language, cognition and social relationships. Steven has written about human nature, irregular verbs and even the history of war. You might have heard of some of his books: The Language Instinct, The Better Angels of Our Nature and Enlightenment Now.
Steven was introduced by Stefan Sagmeister.
If you could recommend 3 books to anyone, what would they be?
The Blind Watchmaker by Richard Dawkins
It allowed me to understand Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection for the first time, kindling an interest I continued to pursue. And it may be the best display of expository scientific prose of the 20th century. It gave me the idea to try my hand at the genre in “The Language Instinct.”
One, Two, Three, Infinity by George Gamow
A delightful introduction to number theory, Einstein’s theory of relativity, higher dimensions, and other mathematical and scientific topics. I read it as a young adult, but it’s informative for old adults too.
36 Arguments for the Existence of God: A Work of Fiction by Rebecca Newberger Goldstein
A moving, hilarious, and intellectually deep novel about religion and atheism. Disclosure: I like this author’s fiction so much that I married her.
What are you reading now?
Pandemics are nothing new, and Kenny offers some optimism on our efforts to fight Covid.
Whose reading list are you most curious about?
The physicist David Deutsch, author of The Beginning of Infinity.
— Steven Pinker
