Steven Pinker on Thomas Sowell

10/31/22 • 55 min

1 Listener

In this episode, I have a conversation with Dr. Steven Pinker, Professor of Cognitive Science at Harvard University.
We talk about what Sowell gets right and what he gets wrong. We talk about why Sowell is not better known in academia and what this tells us about Sowell, and also about academia.
Here are some useful links to things mentioned in the episode:
• Here's a LINK to the theme music played in this episode. I highly recommend the Danish National Symphony orchestra, they have loads of fantastic music on Youtube.
• Steven Pinker's Wikipedia page is HERE.
• Atlantic magazine article about how they tried to cancel Steven Pinker HERE.
• Steven Pinker's Twitter handle is @sapinker.
• HERE is a funny Steven Pinker interview about taboo language (explicit!)
• HERE is a good interview with Steven Pinker about his latest book "Rationality.".
• HERE is a link to Steven Pinker's podcast "The Life of the Mind"
• You can find Steven Pinker's personal website at StevenPinker.com
• You can find Steven Pinker's photo albums HERE.
• You can find Thomas Sowell's photo album HERE.
THERE ARE 3 WAYS TO SUPPORT THE SHOW:

1) Rate and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts. This helps a lot by nudging the show to the top of Google searches.
2) Purchase our Thomas Sowell Post It Note pads: You can find all 100 digital images of the post it notes HERE, feel free to download them and use them however you like.
To purchase pads of printed post it notes, please Paypal $4/pad to [email protected] or Venmo to @Alan-Wolan. Please put your mailing address as well as your email address in the notes of the payment. International orders will cost more, please ask.
NEW: We have two editions of the quotes available:
Edition #2: Quotes 1 - 50.
Edition #3: Quotes 51 - 100
When you order, if you don't specify, we will send you half your order Edition #2 and the other half Edition #3.
3) Support the show financially by subscribing with a monthly contribution on Patreon, link HERE.
You can email Alan at: [email protected]
There are only so many hours in the day and that fact that you spend some of your precious time listening to my podcast is something I will never take for granted and will always appreciate.
THANK YOU!

Support the show

• Find me on X (Twitter) at @alanwolan
• Email me at [email protected]
• Support the show at https://www.patreon.com/SowellGenius
• Purchase podcast merch at https://www.etsy.com/shop/GeniusSowell
• See all my links at www.alanwolan.com

Support the show

Previous Episode

Katharine Birbalsingh on Thomas Sowell and Theodore Dalrymple

When you study Thomas Sowell, you are inevitably introduced to other intellectuals Sowell cites in his books. These are the thinkers Sowell looks up to and draws inspiration from. One such thinker is the British Psychiatrist Theodore Dalrymple.
In this episode we explore Dalrymple's book "Life At The Bottom" and what it has to teach us about the ideas which perpetuate poverty and other social pathologies in the British underclass and what lessons we can draw for a deeper understanding of the American underclasses.
We interview "Britain's Strictest Headmistress" Katharine Birbalsingh about Sowell and Dalrymple and how these two thinkers have influenced her educational philosophy.
Here are some useful links to deepen your appreciation of the episode:
• Here's a LINK to Ice T's "That's How I'm Livin'"
• Here's a LINK to Theodore Dalrymple's book "Life At The Bottom"
• Link to "We Don't Want No Education" chapter of Dalrymple's book HERE.
• Here's a LINK to the film documentary "Britain's Strictest Headmistress". This is a MUST watch!
THERE ARE 3 WAYS TO SUPPORT THE SHOW:

1) Rate and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts. This helps a lot by nudging the show to the top of Google searches.
2) Purchase our Thomas Sowell Post It Note pads: You can find all 100 digital images of the post it notes HERE, feel free to download them and use them however you like.
To purchase pads of printed post it notes, please Paypal $4/pad to [email protected] or Venmo to @Alan-Wolan. Please put your mailing address as well as your email address in the notes of the payment. International orders will cost more, please ask.
NEW: We have two editions of the quotes available:
Edition #2: Quotes 1 - 50.
Edition #3: Quotes 51 - 100
When you order, if you don't specify, we will send you half your order Edition #2 and the other half Edition #3.
3) Support the show financially by subscribing with a monthly contribution on Patreon, link HERE.
You can email Alan at: [email protected]
There are only so many hours in the day and that fact that you spend some of your precious time listening to my podcast is something I will never take for granted and will always appreciate.
THANK YOU!

Support the show

Next Episode

Freedom

1 Recommendations

In today’s episode, I share with you my experience of the Academic Freedom Conference which took place at Stanford University on November 4th and 5th.
Here are some resources which will enhance your enjoyment of the episode:
1) Here's a LINK to the Academic Freedom Conference website.
2) Here's a LINK to the Youtube channel for the conference.
3) Here's a LINK to the book "Positioning: the Battle for your mind."
4) You can find Greg Lukianoff and FIRE HERE.
5) You can find the University of Austin HERE.
6) Frederic Bastiat's essay the Parable of the Broken Window can be found HERE.
7) Link to Sowell's Fourth of July essay HERE.
8) The opening song was arranged and performed by the rock band Boston and you can watch them perform it live HERE.
9) The closing song was arranged and performed by Lada Gaga at the 2016 Super Bowl and you can watch it HERE.
10) $8/month refers to the cost of a Twitter bluecheck.
THERE ARE 3 WAYS TO SUPPORT THE SHOW:

1) Rate and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts. This helps a lot by nudging the show to the top of Google searches. I really appreciate the many positive reviews, especially this one by Jonsby: "This is one of the few podcasts that I actually slow down so I can savor it!"
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2) Purchase our Thomas Sowell Post It Note pads: You can find all 100 digital images of the post it notes HERE, feel free to download them and use them however you like.
To purchase pads of printed post it notes, please visit our shop at: GeniusSowell.etsy.com
We have two editions of the quotes available:
Edition #2: Quotes 1 - 50.
Edition #3: Quotes 51 - 100
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3) Support the show financially by subscribing with a monthly contribution on Patreon, link HERE. The money raised through Patreon supports our efforts to popularize the books and ideas of Thomas Sowell.
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You can email Alan at: [email protected]
There are only so many hours in the day and that fact that you spend some of your precious time listening to my podcast is something I will never take for granted and will always appreciate.
THANK YOU!