Steven Pinker "the idea that we are blank slates, that there is no such thing as human nature, that Evolution did not shape our motives..."

[Dante]

I can't believe there are not a bunch of threads in the Philosophy forum with Pinker's name in a thread title. He is quite the public figure on the subject. He's incredibly brilliant and he challenges the choir(s). To see him linked to Noam Chomsky, a man I've had issues with regarding his political activism is delightful. It helps me respect Chomsky's professional side apart from his activism side.



Pinker has some fascinating things to say about -- Blank Slates, fairness, sameness, and equality.

Is Chomsky's Theory of Language Wrong? Pinker Weighs in on Debate

Critics have bashed linguist Noam Chomsky for more than 50 years, but his claim that language is innate endures

www.scientificamerican.com

 

[Dante]

good place to start

 

[Cougarbear]

I can't believe there are not a bunch of threads in the Philosophy forum with Pinker's name in a thread title. He is quite the public figure on the subject. He's incredibly brilliant and he challenges the choir(s). To see him linked to Noam Chomsky, a man I've had issues with regarding his political activism is delightful. It helps me respect Chomsky's professional side apart from his activism side.



Pinker has some fascinating things to say about -- Blank Slates, fairness, sameness, and equality.

Is Chomsky's Theory of Language Wrong? Pinker Weighs in on Debate

Critics have bashed linguist Noam Chomsky for more than 50 years, but his claim that language is innate endures

www.scientificamerican.com

I just had to listen to a very short snipped to get what he's about. Look, to some extent, we are a blank slate when born. however, we do have biological differences as well as genes that don't always work the way they are supposed to. We have definite family traits that go from generation to generation including diseases and mental troubles like skizophrenia. However, our environment plays a huge role in how we end up as adults as well. That cannot be denied. His attempt to support evolution over Adam and Eve or biblical understanding is silly in my opinion. There's an old saying, "You are who you hang around." Completely true.

 

[Votto]

I just had to listen to a very short snipped to get what he's about. Look, to some extent, we are a blank slate when born. however, we do have biological differences as well as genes that don't always work the way they are supposed to. We have definite family traits that go from generation to generation including diseases and mental troubles like skizophrenia. However, our environment plays a huge role in how we end up as adults as well. That cannot be denied. His attempt to support evolution over Adam and Eve or biblical understanding is silly in my opinion. There's an old saying, "You are who you hang around." Completely true.

The entire endeavor by the Left is to explain life and have a worldview of life after divorcing the notion of God.

Leftism is its own religion and they are their prophets.

 

[Cougarbear]

The entire endeavor by the Left is to explain life and have a worldview of life after divorcing the notion of God.

Leftism is its own religion and they are their prophets.

If they would accept the possibility of God and that there are both evolutionary events and that we are of the Fold of Adam, we could have a rational conversation with them. But, they are such ideologs that we can't even do that.

 

[Votto]

If they would accept the possibility of God and that there are both evolutionary events and that we are of the Fold of Adam, we could have a rational conversation with them. But, they are such ideologs that we can't even do that.

The Left cannot stand the notion of God being taken seriously, much like they cannot stand a political adversary being taken seriously like Trump or RFK.

They are power hungry infantile, self-righteous, narcissistic ass holes that will shove their religion down your throat, and if that does not work, they will shove it down the throat of your child.

 

[Dante]

The Left cannot stand the notion of God being taken seriously...

Tell that to all of the left wing based Churches and activists who are believers.

You seriously need to get out more often

 

[Dante]

attempt to support evolution over Adam and Eve or biblical understanding is silly in my opinion.

Biblical tales of an Adam and Eve vs science?

okay

 

[Cougarbear]

Biblical tales of an Adam and Eve vs science?

okay

I rest my case about the potential of rational conversations. Yes. If there were humanoids before Adam and Eve, they would not be related to us for we are of the fold of Adam and Eve.

 

[gtopa1]

I can't believe there are not a bunch of threads in the Philosophy forum with Pinker's name in a thread title. He is quite the public figure on the subject. He's incredibly brilliant and he challenges the choir(s). To see him linked to Noam Chomsky, a man I've had issues with regarding his political activism is delightful. It helps me respect Chomsky's professional side apart from his activism side.



Pinker has some fascinating things to say about -- Blank Slates, fairness, sameness, and equality.

Is Chomsky's Theory of Language Wrong? Pinker Weighs in on Debate

Critics have bashed linguist Noam Chomsky for more than 50 years, but his claim that language is innate endures

www.scientificamerican.com

Colorless green ideas sleep furiously.

Greg

 

[Seymour Flops]

I can't believe there are not a bunch of threads in the Philosophy forum with Pinker's name in a thread title. He is quite the public figure on the subject. He's incredibly brilliant and he challenges the choir(s). To see him linked to Noam Chomsky, a man I've had issues with regarding his political activism is delightful. It helps me respect Chomsky's professional side apart from his activism side.



Pinker has some fascinating things to say about -- Blank Slates, fairness, sameness, and equality.

Is Chomsky's Theory of Language Wrong? Pinker Weighs in on Debate

Critics have bashed linguist Noam Chomsky for more than 50 years, but his claim that language is innate endures

www.scientificamerican.com

What is Pinker saying here that is new?

 

[gtopa1]

I rest my case about the potential of rational conversations. Yes. If there were humanoids before Adam and Eve, they would not be related to us for we are of the fold of Adam and Eve.

Proce don't seem to know what Science is.



If it can't be tested it ain't Science.

Greg

 

[Dante]

What is Pinker saying here that is new?

Confessing to not knowing everything, I'll defer to your exception skills to tell us all.

 

[Dante]

Great minds on ideas in psychology show up. USMB is amazing.

 

[Seymour Flops]

There is science in behavioral psychology. I use it every day in working with students who have behavioral disabilities and neurodivergence. Thousands of experiments have been done, many of them replications of previous experiments, research using observation is plentiful, and there is an evidence-based trial and error approach to helping these children. That is science at its most useful, and I'm proud to have my masters in it.

Then, there is the type of "psychology" "practiced" by people like Pinker, Chomsky and others. It consists of making observations that are obvious to most adults, but phrasing them in psychological and pseudo-scientific terms. There is very little usefulness in such nonsense, but it sells a lot of books.

 

[Dante]

There is science in behavioral psychology. I use it every day in working with students who have behavioral disabilities and neurodivergence. Thousands of experiments have been done, many of them replications of previous experiments, research using observation is plentiful, and there is an evidence-based trial and error approach to helping these children. That is science at its most useful, and I'm proud to have my masters in it.

Then, there is the type of "psychology" "practiced" by people like Pinker, Chomsky and others. It consists of making observations that are obvious to most adults, but phrasing them in psychological and pseudo-scientific terms. There is very little usefulness in such nonsense, but it sells a lot of books.

really?

hmm...

Even a simple search stopping on a Wikipedia page would've helped you. and to think somebody allowed the likes of you near students with special needs? Outrageous.

Pinker has written two technical books that proposed a general theory of language acquisition and applied it to children's learning of verbs. In particular, his work with Alan Prince published in 1989 critiqued the connectionist model of how children acquire the past tense of English verbs, positing that children use default rules, such as adding -ed to make regular forms, sometimes in error, but are obliged to learn irregular forms one by one.

 

[Seymour Flops]

really?

hmm...

Even a simple search stopping on a Wikipedia page would've helped you. and to think somebody allowed the likes of you near students with special needs? Outrageous.

Pinker has written two technical books that proposed a general theory of language acquisition and applied it to children's learning of verbs. In particular, his work with Alan Prince published in 1989 critiqued the connectionist model of how children acquire the past tense of English verbs, positing that children use default rules, such as adding -ed to make regular forms, sometimes in error, but are obliged to learn irregular forms one by one.

That “general theory” that Pnker proposed? Pure guesswork. No experimental support ever provided, by Pinker or any of his followers in 35 years since that piece was published. Exactly the kind of half-baked quasi-philosophical nonsense we were taught to avoid as time wasters.

 

[Dante]

That “general theory” that Pnker proposed? Pure guesswork. No experimental support ever provided, by Pinker or any of his followers in 35 years since that piece was published. Exactly the kind of half-baked quasi-philosophical nonsense we were taught to avoid as time wasters.

Were you home-schooled way back in the day?

Pinker has written two technical books that proposed a general theory of language acquisition and applied it to children's learning of verbs. In particular, his work with Alan Prince published in 1989 critiqued the connectionist model of how children acquire the past tense of English verbs, positing that children use default rules, such as adding -ed to make regular forms, sometimes in error, but are obliged to learn irregular forms one by one.

STEVEN PINKER
Johnstone Family Professor in the Department of Psychology
at Harvard University

You? "Behavioral psychology. I use it every day in working with students who have behavioral disabilities and neurodivergence."

Seymour Flops : Steven Pinker "the idea that we are blank slates, that there is no such thing as human nature, that Evolution did not shape our motives..."

 

[Seymour Flops]

Were you home-schooled way back in the day?

Pinker has written two technical books that proposed a general theory of language acquisition and applied it to children's learning of verbs. In particular, his work with Alan Prince published in 1989 critiqued the connectionist model of how children acquire the past tense of English verbs, positing that children use default rules, such as adding -ed to make regular forms, sometimes in error, but are obliged to learn irregular forms one by one.

STEVEN PINKER
Johnstone Family Professor in the Department of Psychology
at Harvard University

You? "Behavioral psychology. I use it every day in working with students who have behavioral disabilities and neurodivergence."

Seymour Flops : Steven Pinker "the idea that we are blank slates, that there is no such thing as human nature, that Evolution did not shape our motives..."

Your cutting and pasting has led you to miss the point.

Behavior psychology is a science and an evidence-based practice. I contrasted it with the musing cogitation of Pinker, et al.

 

[Dante]

Your cutting and pasting has led you to miss the point.

Behavior psychology is a science and an evidence-based practice. I contrasted it with the musing cogitation of Pinker, et al.

Go back to working with 'tards