Prof. Steven Pinker | The Evolution of Rationality (and Irrationality) | Lecture in Memory of Darwin

The 2nd Annual Lecture in Memory of Charles Darwin delivered by Prof. Steven Pinker, Johnstone Family Professor of Psychology, Harvard University.
The Evolution of Rationality (and Irrationality)
Today, humanity is reaching new heights of scientific understanding-and at the same time appears to be losing its mind. Why do we find ourselves flooded with fake news, medical quackery, and conspiracy theorizing? I propose that human intelligence evolved, together with language, sociality, and other unusual human traits, as an adaptation to the “cognitive niche”: the use of knowledge and reasoning to coordinate behavior and defeat other organisms’ fixed defenses. But this gives us “ecological rationality,” a kind of reasoning which depends on personal experience, is intermixed with subject matter knowledge, and which is deployed to advance personal and social goals. It contrasts with “formal rationality,” the use of datasets and content-neutral formulas, which developed only recently and must be laboriously acquired and applied in institutional contexts. The contrast helps explain how the same species can develop advanced science and technology yet remain vulnerable to cognitive biases and fallacies.
For more information: www.academy.ac....
#science #psychology #evolutionarypsychology #neuroscience #rationalthinking

[@kennethhowe459]

I asked a non religious friend why he sent his children to the catholic school. He replied, "so they will know what they are rejecting when they grow up!"

[@leonardosalvatore8667]

Pinker never fails to deliver fascinating lectures. The stark distinction between "real" beliefs and "mythological" beliefs is very intriguing. Beliefs in the Reality Zone are more immediate and practical, whereas beliefs in the Mythology Zone are more abstract and remote. However, the claim that mythological beliefs "don't impinge on [people's] day-to-day lives" (00:37:45) is highly questionable. For example, a family may care deeply about their children's schooling because they believe that the children are made in the image of God and thus ought to actualize their full potential through education. Regardless of its utility and potential veracity, the "mythological" belief in God informs the family's daily commitment to ensuring that the child has food on the table and enough clothing to attend school. In this case, the daily practice of ascertaining "real" beliefs arises from a prior commitment to a "mythological" belief. Pinker is right in differentiating the cognitive investments that go into each, but their relationship is much more intimate than he seemed to suggest.

[@ALavin-en1kr]

Darwin was definitely non rational he was not a philosopher, a theologian a psychologist or anything other than a biologist. The elements creating consciousness, and mind would be truly non rational. Consciousness and mind which supposedly did not exist yet being created by elements would be truly miraculous.

[@thomasulatowski3012]

Who gets tested for cancer? Not just random women. Mostly women at risk. Women at High risk?

[@ChestertonSam-p5x]

Young Brenda Garcia Karen Taylor John

[@BronteJoshua-i2o]

Harris Barbara Robinson Amy Taylor Thomas

[@larryparis925]

Excellent. Notice that A.R. Wallace's approach (1:17:00) to the evolution of human cognitive abilities is nothing but a god-of-the-gaps argument.

[@stevebaryakovgindi]

great lecture

[@kevinpreston5260]

@19:00 my reasoning: flipping all 4 cards can strengthen or weaken the universality of the rule. If we find a "3" behind "F" then it will challenge the rule. Finding something other than a "D" behind "3" will also challenge the rule. Thus flipping all cards can either give credence to the rule or remove support for the rule.

[@thomasulatowski3012]

The rule ONLY says what it says : 3 always with D. 3 behind F is TOTALLY irrelevant.

[@joefriendly]

Behold! A scientific improvement in our reasoning, a Solar Compass for usefully sorting our ways of being human by rescuing birthday from astrology, appreciating birthday amounts to the dimension, phase, of the annual cycle of daily levels of solar energy flow to our Temperate Zone that newborns have evolved to respond to with various neural development, like networking patterns and parameters.

[@myself2noone]

Interesting. What other species have evolved similar abilities and in what evolutionary context? I'm unaware of any song birds that seem to work on that principle. And they tend to share the most similarities with human young. You also say we know this. How? What predictions dose it make? And how we're they tested? (Dropping the act a little parody only works if you understand a subject. And you don't.)

[@ГлебВерховский-п2р]

Fun facts and examples but they don't serve any purpose.