Steven Pinker - The Stuff of Thought: Language as a window into human nature

For Steven Pinker, the brilliance of the mind lies in the way it uses just two processes to turn the finite building blocks of our language into infinite meanings. The first is metaphor: we take a concrete idea and use it as a stand-in for abstract thoughts. The second is combination: we combine ideas according to rules, like the syntactic rules of language, to create new thoughts out of old ones.

Note - This video contains strong language.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• Pinker
• Steven Pinker
• language
• linguistics

[theRSAorg]

From Cognitive Media's website - our external animation partners :)

[mbenet]

Fucking Brilliant! - [ok ... watch the video]

[MoncefGridda]

I wonder if I need to have as many gray hairs as he does to hold a lecture as revealing (about human nature).

[Dansvidania]

faster and faster and faster and faster and faster

[mrkeys1111]

People, places, things...they are, they have been and they will be. Steven fascinates on the actions that change and transform them. The verbs and the changers of our reality. He looks at our actions to how we perceive them, how we correlate them and how we predicate on them. Pure genius.

[mrcwalk]

I can't believe how many negative comments this video has received.

Have you any idea how long it takes to achieve the acknowledged basics as a certified psychologist?

this man has gone on to specialise in language, which even when he reveals something very simple, there has been years of science gone into that revelation.

maybe the content of this speech contains material found in other lectures by him, but have you heard in speak on blood lust in religion etc? fucking mind-blowing!

[makethelaughs]

Thumbs up if you cant help but laugh when the guy with weird laugh, laughs!

[jamfraley]

@BrianLeexx he makes independent arguments about the nature of profanity, grammar and inuendo that have interesting conclusions. When he feels he's succeeded there, he goes on to suggest that language is a window into human nature, but I don't think it's terribly as vague as usual when he gives us a strong evidential context. Namely, it's a window, and these are some specific examples of what you see.

[ImBatmanUrNot]

lmao the guys laugh in the crowd is too FUCKING funny XD

[BrianLeexx]

I don't discredit the man, but after watching this lecture fully twice, I still fail to comprehend the arguments he makes. Could anyone explain what message Mr. Pinker is trying to convey besides the obscure "language is a window into human nature"?

[rockos414]

The man is a comedic genius. I doubt people have ever laughed so hard during a seminar.

[x1plus1x]

my fav part is 0:29:04

[BadMannerKorea]

That guy cackling is fucking hilarious.