Steven Pinker on Noam Chomsky's theory of Linguistics & Politics (Part 2)

[grubbytron]

Can't hear it on a laptop!

[tokotokotoko3]

There are very convincing theories that human language stems more from a form of birdsong: Which is not for communicating topics, but to impress mates. ( watch?v=rconzwB422s )

I think those make a lot of sense, and are very much in line with Chomsky.

Additionally... its just common sense that the tools we use for language must derive from things that were not for communication originally - especially if you support the evolutionary explanation.

[mellamosean]

Did anyone else mishear the "great vowel shift" as the "great bowel shift?"

[beradification]

This is the most interesting thing on linguistics I've seen, steve pinker has some amazing ideas and explanations, and hair.

[mightyafrowhitey]

"natural selection is the only process we know of in science..." was he using that as an umbrella term to include sexual selection also?

[MomSaysImCool]

@mightyafrowhitey Natural selection seems to be the awkward catch-all we use. It's kind of like how "classical music" refers to a number musical movements, including one called classical music.

[Keinlicht]

@mightyafrowhitey What is natural selection but reproductive competition?

Without sexual selection, biological evolution is meaningless, isn't it?

[pawsoned]

Pinker's floundering and reluctance to admit Chomsky's contribution to the field shows either his ignorance (unlikely) or pure envy of Chomsky's substantial contribution to linguistics.

[petkragh]

@pawsoned How petty can you be.

[pawsoned]

@petkragh pretty much the same as all those idiotic comments like "I love Pinker" "I like his hair" "Pinker for President" etc

[petkragh]

@pawsoned I don't love Pinker. But you are very happy to ascribe sinister motives to people.

[pawsoned]

@petkragh

Heh?

[astudyofeverything]

"... all the guys I had worked with, all their work was worthless" - The things Chomsky read no doubt of the people he had studied under had lead HIMSELF to the conclusions which now make him widely known. Their work was the opposite of worthless, it created the environment in which Chomsky himself could release his creative ideas.

Yes, they may be wrong in hindsight, but are they worthless? Surely not.

[mightyafrowhitey]

@astudyofeverything Skinner made important contributions to psychology if not linguistics, even if his theories of Behaviorism were overly simplistic. same is true with Freud.

[jutfrank]

"it's not bad to be wrong in a field"

[Lunis]

Video is slightly out of sync, I will try to re-code and re-upload it.

[KenMacMillan]

@Lunis Nah, it's good enough.