Harvard Professor Steven Pinker

[@strezztechnoid]

The U.S. Justice Department has entered a full throated theocratic stance towards not only the department and its mission but towards individuals and groups based on a religious alliance. On the DoJ website, the public affairs office includes a press release with the National Religious Broadcasters event where Barr, DeVos, and Sekulow addressed the audience in their official capacity. That's not the issue, it is the content and nature of their talks that is beyond reasonable. If you are curious just look up the nrb.org, justice.gov and Barr or DeVos. Deliberate Objectives; congress, both house and senate, the executive, and soon the Supreme Court will be held under the control by these aligned forces. Specifically, fundamentalist evangelical Christians under the rubric of what is called Christian Nationalism, Dominionism, or Theonomy that is essentially law and governance as a Christian centric enterprise. Secularism is considered an evil, a threat to Christianity and the reason for a moral decay within the United States. Asked what priorities their lives take are answered as "God, party, country". The doors are closing on this movement, that the wheel of this misguided ship is locked into a collision course with the secular iceberg, a responsive answer to this subversive coup-de-tat is all but possible. There is a very common theme; cultural, historic, hereditary, habitual, and behavioral predilections amongst the people allied under their fundamentalist beliefs. There is a fair amount of writing and research describing the organizational and operational components of this group of power seeking nihilists. I bring this to your attention as this is the coalescing swarm making dangerous inroads to the institutions of the United States. A tipping point is about to be reached, there is no method to deter this movement in a nuanced our rational and deliberative manner. There is over forty years of planning and organizing in order to wrestle power from the hands of the secularists.

[@exponent8562]

Fantastic presentation! With it were 4 hours. Blank Slate = one of my favorites.

[@aquestioner3004]

Rationality is not only about achieving a goal, it also about formulating defensible goals. Going into a new situation it is not known what is true, so justified true belief cannot be knowledge. Knowledge is maximally justified belief. Truth is totally justified belief.

[@leealexander3507]

I would like to have that book. In my opinion we all have different strengths and weaknesses and are better at some things than others. I've never been able to become religious even as a child although my mother tried. There are some good moral lessons in the new testament if taken in their historical context but moral lessons can be found in many places.

[@diannerussell4849]

Steven Pinker is a great guy with good insights, that was a good talk, I enjoyed it.

[@danielm5161]

This book sounds like it will be completely up my alley.

[@lloydchristmas4547]

Great talk. Keep as much rationale as possible in this world.

[@freeamerican63]

We all may think we are right. But we all have the right to believe we are right even if we are wrong. True, right is right and wrong is wrong. But individuals are going to stumble their way through life making up their own mind. Which is what a free person should be able to do.

[@timmyI115]

the argument from authority is a complex one. I hope he lays it out well.

[@Slanghappy]

Its very nice!

[@importantname]

knowledge and intelligence makes people hard to control

[@danielm5161]

I'd love to watch courses by Pinker on rationality if they were on the net

[@danielm5161]

Never mind they are on his site stevenpinker.com/classes/rationality-gened-1066/materials/rationality-gened-1066-lectures

[@kamskas6226]

Good morning from Singapore

[@aquestioner3004]

Update: True means totally justified. A true belief is a totally justified belief. Knowledge is having a true belief(s). Rational means maximally justified.

[@danielm5161]

Rationality Lectures on the net: stevenpinker.com/classes/rationality-gened-1066/materials/rationality-gened-1066-lectures

[@KnightofEkron]

I used to be a big "Enlightenment" person, but such views are naive and limited. However, I do agree with him that learning heuristics and biases are important, though I am skeptical of their over-universalization. One problem though, "the tools of rationality", should be translated into "the tools of rationalization". To make of something orderly is not really that special.

[@wbdill]

Pinker's Harvard Rationality Course videos: harvard.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Sessions/List.aspx#folderID=%2255a37adc-eaae-4aa6-8a06-ab25015a4ee8%22&maxResults=50

[@timmyI115]

I can't find this class

[@snipeduck]

harvard.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Sessions/List.aspx#folderID=%2255a37adc-eaae-4aa6-8a06-ab25015a4ee8%22

[@robertcooper1952]

"Unthinking respect for authority is the greatest enemy of truth." - Albert Einstein Visit my website: agnosticthinker.com.

[@mikebailey519]

Crawling on the planet’s face. Some insects call the human race. Lost in time, lost in space and meaning.

[@A3Kr0n]

I'm watching the first of Steven's lectures: 1: Rationality: An Introduction

[@timmyI115]

Can you link it for me I am pretty sure I found it. But, just would like confirmation. I understand that us searching helps with SEO. But, the lack of good search terms in the news broadcast sucks.

[@danielm5161]

Is it available on the net?

[@EmperorsNewWardrobe]

Here’s the link to all of them harvard.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Sessions/List.aspx#folderID=%2255a37adc-eaae-4aa6-8a06-ab25015a4ee8%22

[@CandidDate]

I am an agnostic and here's why: Stones and bones. Evolution vs. miracles. 1. There is no rational way to describe how the pyramids were made, but they exist, and they are unexplainable. 2. I am not going to base my belief system on a handful of skeletons left over from "hunter and gatherer" times hundreds of thousands of years ago. I remain agnostic, Thank you, and have a nice day.

[@degaussingatmosphericcharg575]

One does not have to base a "belief system" on bones; we have much more than that; look this up if interested. (and, evolution has been directly observed...) We know that life changes slowly over time; i.e. bioogical evolution. It is not a belief system. it is science, a sub -branch of biology. We have rational ways presently to explain how the pyramids were made. Look this up also. There are no miracles, only the unknown. Stop w/ the "magic' of the gaps. Thank you, and you also have a nice day :)

[@EmperorsNewWardrobe]

@CandidDate, I’m curious about your response to Richard’s question

[@eldridgedavis]

First...I'm sorry I just can't.