New

Steven Pinker

presents

The Life of the Mind

Delve deep into the labyrinth of the human mind with Professor Steven Pinker as he demystifies the complexities of the human condition using the tools offered by cognitive psychology. Steven is a world-renowned Cognitive Psychologist, Linguist and Professor who has taught at Harvard, MIT & Stanford Universities, and has made it to Time Magazines’ 100 Most Influential People in the World Today. Calling Professor Pinker a Titan in his field would definitely be an understatement!

In this 20 chapter Videobook series, watch Professor Pinker hand you the key that will open your mind to the inner workings of the human psyche. Buckle up for a mind-bending journey into evolutionary psychology, the language of the brain and more..

Enlightenment Now

The Better Angels of our Nature.

The Blank Slate

Troland Award (1993, National Academy of Sciences)

Henry Dale Prize (2004, Royal Institution)

Richard Dawkins Award (2013)

Time’s 100 most influential people in the world

2010 and 2011 by Foreign Policy list of top global thinkers

Pinker was named one of Time magazine’s Hundred Most Influential People in the World Today, Foreign Policy’s 100 Global Thinkers, the Humanist of the Year and the Honorary President of the Canadian Psychological Association. He has also served as the editor/advisor for a number of scientific, humanist, scholarly and media organizations such as the National Science Foundation, the Linguistic Society of America and the American Psychological Association.

His books have been awarded numerous prizes such as the Los Angeles Times Science Book Prize, the Cundill Recognition of Excellence in History Award and the Eleanor Maccoby Book Prize. Academic Influence stated in 2021 that he was the second-most influential psychologist in the world in the last decade (2010-2020).

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VIEW CHAPTER STRUCTURE

EPISODE 1 : A HISTORY OF PSYCHOLOGICAL EXPERIMENTS

Follow Steven Pinker on a psychological journey that unearths truths behind our own complex minds and shatters established fallacies that often bear the burden of controversy. In this chapter, Steven delves into the history of psychological experiments and reveals new findings that help further shape our understanding of the world around us.

EPISODE 2 : HOW THE BRAIN MAKES SENSE OF THE AUDITORY WORLD

Solidify your understanding of auditory scene analysis, a proposed model coined by psychologist Albert Bregman, for the basis of auditory perception. In this chapter, Steven talks about how the brain makes sense of the auditory world, the principles of auditory scene analysis and its close relationship to visual scene analysis, the physics of sound, and much more.

EPISODE 3 : INNER WORKINGS OF THE HUMAN MIND

Gain a deeper understanding of the inner workings of the human mind. In this chapter, Steven delves into the concept of mental imagery and explains how this phenomenon appears in one's mind.

EPISODE 4 : THE MIND’S EYE

Learn how human vision works. In this chapter, Steven explains the concept of human visual attention and its limitations, including the laws of optics and projection, and the notion of the mind’s eye.

EPISODE 05 : HOW DOES THE BRAIN DEVELOP LANGUAGE?

Humans use language to convey meaning, to share ideas, and to win friends and influence people. In this chapter, Steven explores how children acquire language at a young age, the intelligence gap between children and artificial intelligence and Noam Chomsky’s controversial theory of language.

EPISODE 06 : THE BEST TIME TO LEARN SOMETHING AND IT’S NOT WHEN YOU THINK

Learn about the critical periods in life that accelerate growth and learning. In this chapter, Steven delves into the findings of why children and teenagers grasp the syntax and semantics of language more easily than adults.

EPISODE 07 : THE MAGIC OF WORDS

Learn about the psychological phenomenon called word magic. In this chapter, Steven explains the impact of language, the evolution of absurdities and taboo language as well as the difference between monolingual and bilingual children.

EPISODE 08 : LANGUAGE AND MEANING: LET’S DISCUSS

Explore the essence of language and how meaning is generated from the spoken word. In this chapter, Steven explores the concept of meaning in relation to language, the nature of semantics and the elements of meaning that matter when choosing the right words to say.

EPISODE 09 : LEARN HOW TO USE GRAMMAR CORRECTLY

Learn about how the algorithms of the brain and our neurological structures form rules for language. In this chapter, Steven delves into memorization, mental grammar, and the circuitry of our brain that drives both the rules and irregularities of language.

EPISODE 10 : How Language Influences Your Brain

Discover the main components of language that work together to create meaningful communication between people. In this chapter, Steven talks about the different components of language and where to find these distinctions in the human brain and how Broca's aphasia and other impairments affect one’s ability to speak.

EPISODE 11 : Do innuendos help preserve relationships?

The most intricate and interesting aspect of language is a human being’s ability to read between the lines. In this chapter, Stephen talks about the advantages and disadvantages of using innuendo and the psychology behind it.

EPISODE 12 : Common knowledge and its role in one’s life

The role of common knowledge in an individual’s social life. In this chapter, Steven explains the concept of common knowledge and how it alters the relationship model between humans, common knowledge in relation to seduction, innuendos and euphemism, and the ability of language to generate common knowledge.

EPISODE 13 : Assertions of Charitability

Gain a deeper understanding of the notion of generosity. In this chapter, Steven speaks about the great medieval Jewish philosopher, Moses Maimonides and his concept of the eight levels of charitable giving, common knowledge and its impact on charitable judgement, as well as the benefit of anonymity in charitable donations.

EPISODE 14 : Bystander Apathy

Understand the psychological premise of bystander apathy. In this chapter, Steven talks about how common knowledge procures lethal inaction among humans, which serves as a key to many mysteries of social life.

EPISODE 15 : Evolutionary Psychology

The totality of all of our physical and psychological traits can be attributed to evolution. In this chapter, Steven dives into our own adaptabilities throughout evolution as well as the evolutionary psychology, or lack thereof, behind sociality, dreams, and music.

EPISODE 16 : Music

Music is the labyrinth that connects all cultures. In this chapter, Steven delves into the history of music and explains how it can be mathematically divided between monotony and chaos to sound harmonious and pleasurable to our ears.

EPISODE 17 : Genetics

The great debate of Nature Vs. Nurture has been at the forefront of psychological debate since the Ancient Greeks discussed the root of personality traits. In this chapter, Steven talks about how genetics plays a strong role in the personality and make up of a person and deconstructs the fallacy that nurture is more impactful in how we act.

EPISODE 18 : The Blank Slate

The ultimate hindrance to scientific and psychological research are moral expectations. In this chapter, Steven talks about his controversial book, The Blank Slate, and the many facets of human nature including fear, morality, and finding meaning in life.

EPISODE 19 : The History of Violence

Learn about the history of violence and how its trajectory has changed over the past two millennia. In this chapter, Steven delves into good and evil aspects of human nature and how civil and societal advancements have impacted the frequency of violence.

EPISODE 20 : Enlightenment

The last 50 years have seen unprecedented improvements in poverty, hunger, violence, medicine, and literacy. In this chapter. Steven talks about not only why this news flies under the radar, but more importantly, how we have progressed to this point as a species.

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The Life of the Mind by Steven Pinker