In this conversation, John is joined by Professor Steven Pinker, world renowned cognitive psychologist, psycholinguist and public intellectual. John and Steven discuss why, despite the profound influence of the Enlightenment on the modern world, so many have been captivated by postmodernism and critical theories which reject the essence of the Enlightenment - rationality and objective truth. They consider what it is to be rational, how rationality relates to being morally 'good', the difference between wisdom and knowledge, science and it's impact on modernity and why bad ideas so often stem from the halls of academia. Steven applies his mind to other topical questions, including the erosion of free speech, the rise of artificial intelligence and how aspiring writers can hone their craft. Steven Pinker is an experimental psychologist who conducts research in visual cognition, psycholinguistics, and social relations. He earned his BA from McGill and his PhD from Harvard. Currently Johnstone Professor of Psychology at Harvard, he has also taught at Stanford and MIT. He has won numerous prizes for his research, his teaching, and his books. The latest published in 2021, is called 'Rationality: What It Is, Why It Seems Scarce, Why It Matters'. He is an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences, a two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist, a Humanist of the Year, a recipient of nine honorary doctorates, and one of Foreign Policy’s “World’s Top 100 Public Intellectuals” and Time’s “100 Most Influential People in the World Today.” He was Chair of the Usage Panel of the American Heritage Dictionary, and writes frequently for the New York Times, the Guardian, and other publications. #psychology #enlightenment #rationality -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Conversations feature John Anderson, former Deputy Prime Minister of Australia, interviewing the world's foremost thought leaders about today's pressing social, cultural and political issues. John believes proper, robust dialogue is necessary if we are to maintain our social strength and cohesion. As he puts it; "You cannot get good public policy out of a bad public debate." If you value this discussion and want to see more like it, make sure you subscribe to the channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtnYSEGViOnb7k8ezUaWUww?sub_confirmation=1 And stay right up to date with all the conversations by subscribing to the newsletter here: https://johnanderson.net.au/contact/ Follow John on Twitter: https://twitter.com/JohnAndersonAC Follow John on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/johnandersonac Follow John on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johnandersonac/ Support the channel: https://johnanderson.net.au/support/ Website: https://johnanderson.net.au/ Podcast: https://johnanderson.net.au/podcasts/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- https://stevenpinker.com/ https://www.facebook.com/Stevenpinkerpage/ https://twitter.com/sapinker https://psychology.fas.harvard.edu/people/steven-pinker