Steven Pinker: The Truth About Free Speech, Cancel Culture & Control

Dr. Mayim Bialik
01:50:56 Report Issue
Loading transcript... Click for full transcript

Chapters & Sections (152)

0:32 The Dangers of Politicizing Science and Truth chapter 3
0:32 Undermining Objective Truth and the Consequences of Science Becoming Politicized
1:03 The Impact of Cancel Culture on Free Speech and the Erosion of Trust in Institutions
1:35 The Importance of Safeguarding Science's Reputation and the Dangers of Losing Trust in Institutions
3:40 Introduction and Context chapter 3
3:40 Welcome to the Breaker Community and Introduction to Dr. Steven Finger
4:10 Common Knowledge in Social Interactions
5:12 Examples of Common Knowledge in Coordination and Cooperation
6:44 The Concept of Common Knowledge and Social Relationships chapter 5
6:44 Defining Social Relationships through Common Knowledge
7:14 Signaling and Solidifying Relationships
7:45 Protecting Relationships through Euphemism and Innuendo
8:49 Recursive Mentalizing in Social Interactions
9:21 Challenges and Tensions in Social Situations
10:25 The Dangers of Misinterpreted Social Signals chapter 2
10:25 The Risks of Misinterpreting Platonic Friendships
10:57 Euphemisms and Bribery in Social Interactions
11:27 Social Dynamics and Charisma chapter 2
11:27 The Importance of Charisma and Smoothness in Social Situations
12:28 Introducing Short Form as a Learning Tool
13:31 Introduction and Sponsorship chapter 4
13:31 Short Form Book Guides and Features
14:03 Discussion Community and Subscription Link
14:35 Quint Fashion and Quality
15:37 IQ Bar Snacks and Features
16:40 Introduction and Sponsorship chapter 1
16:40 IQ Bar Sponsorship and Personal Preparation
17:12 Autism Spectrum and Social Skills chapter 2
17:43 Difficulty in Mentalizing and Theory of Mind
19:14 Impairment of Politeness Skills in Autism
20:16 Frustration with Indirect Communication chapter 3
20:16 Passive Aggressive Behavior and Directness
21:19 Cultural Differences in Communication Styles
21:51 Calibration of Directness and Indirectness
23:54 The Phenomenon of Shaming Mobs chapter 4
23:54 The Context of Social Media and Shaming Mobs
24:24 The Justine Sacko Case and the Inauguration of Cancel Culture
24:54 The Misinterpretation and Public Shaming of Justine Sacko's Joke
25:24 The Problem of Public Shaming and the Ruining of Careers
27:29 The Enforcement of Norms chapter 4
27:29 Punishing Deviance and the Role of Public Shaming
28:01 The Platform for Public Shaming in Social Media
28:32 Human Tendency to Pile On and the Salem Witch Trials
30:10 Policing Thought and Information in a Disagreed Moral Order
31:13 The Limits of Knowledge and Truth chapter 2
31:13 The Difficulty in Finding Objective Truth
32:14 The Power of Narrative and Belief
33:49 Electrolyte Drink Mix and Hydration chapter 1
33:49 The Rise of Alternative Truths
34:53 Credibility of Science and Journalism chapter
36:58 Promotion of Products chapter
38:01 Remy Night Guard and Erosion of Trusted Institutions chapter 4
38:01 Remy Night Guard Promotion and Guarantee
38:32 Erosion of Trusted Institutions and Truth
39:02 Questionable Academic Information in Medical Textbooks
40:04 Fallibility of Human Knowledge and Trust in Institutions
41:38 The Importance of Critical Thinking and Open-Mindedness chapter 4
41:38 The Need for Justification and Acknowledging Fallibility
42:09 Challenging Institutional Authority and the Importance of Open-Mindedness
43:12 The Dangers of Coercive and Unjustified Measures
44:14 Misinformation and the Importance of Critical Thinking in Food Labeling
44:46 Chemistry and Food Ingredients chapter 4
44:46 Misconceptions about Food Ingredients and Public Health Advice
45:17 Addictive Foods and the Challenge of Healthy Choices
45:49 The Problem of Temptation and Incentives in a Free Society
47:55 Thought Police, Group Think, and the Fear of Being Controlled
48:26 US Free Speech Protections and Government Intervention chapter 3
48:26 Importance of Free Speech Protections in the US
48:57 Abuse of Power through Arrests and Criminalization
49:27 Common Knowledge Generation and Subversion in Authoritarian Regimes
51:32 Freedom of Speech and Censorship chapter 3
51:32 Examples of Creative Protest and Censorship in Russia
52:02 Arrests for Freedom of Speech and Incitement to Violence
53:06 Blurring the Lines between Free Speech and Hate Speech
55:10 Free Speech and Hate Crimes chapter 4
55:10 Criminalizing Disagreement and the Importance of Free Speech
55:42 Justifying Violence in Political Discourse
56:13 Criminalizing Emotive Speech and the Limits of Free Speech
57:14 The Impact of Social Media on Common Knowledge
58:49 Conspiracy Theories and Polarization chapter 5
58:49 Historical Context of Conspiracy Theories
59:24 Consistency of Conspiracy Thinking
59:56 Polarization and Tribalism in Society
1:00:28 Blurring of Science and Politics
1:00:58 Separating Fact from Value in Science
1:02:34 The Dangers of Politicizing Science chapter 4
1:02:34 The Backlash Against Scientific Objectivity
1:03:38 Consequences of Politicizing Science
1:04:42 Undermining Credibility in Science
1:05:46 Defunding of Academic Research and Harvard Derangement Syndrome
1:06:17 The American University System and Scientific Research chapter 4
1:06:17 The Importance of Scientific Research and Breakthroughs
1:06:47 Concerns about Canceling Scientific Research Funding
1:07:49 Harvard's Commitment to Diversity and Anti-Semitism Accusations
1:08:19 Addressing Misconceptions about Harvard and Anti-Semitism
1:09:52 Concerns about SSRIs and pharmaceutical companies chapter 4
1:09:52 Alternative treatments and concerns about SSRIs
1:10:24 Problems with big pharma and medication overprescription
1:10:55 Financial motivations behind research and treatment
1:11:27 Professionalization of mental health and medication
1:13:02 Limitations of Mental Health Solutions and Complexity of Human Brain chapter 4
1:13:02 Criticizing Oversimplification of Mental Health Issues and Profit Motives
1:14:03 Complexity of Human Brain and Need for More Research and Knowledge
1:15:07 Outrage and Blame in the Medical System and Politics
1:16:10 Acknowledging Complexity of Problems and Human Nature
1:16:40 Self-Centeredness and the Nature of Reality chapter 3
1:16:40 The Problem of Self-Centeredness and the World's Indifference
1:17:11 The False Promise of Mystical Forces and Higher Powers
1:18:45 The Futility of Seeking Extraordinary Claims Without Evidence
1:20:20 Physics, Quantum Mechanics, and ESP chapter 3
1:20:50 Challenging Intuitions and the Lack of Evidence for ESP
1:22:24 Near-Death Experiences and the Study of Consciousness
1:22:56 Misremembering and Confirmation Bias in the Study of ESP
1:23:58 The Problem of Extraordinary Claims chapter 4
1:23:58 The Need for Extraordinary Evidence
1:24:30 Skepticism and the Burden of Proof
1:25:01 The Limitations of Science and Indigenous Wisdom
1:26:04 Separating Valid from Invalid Indigenous Wisdom
1:27:05 The Importance of Science and Critical Thinking chapter 3
1:27:05 Critique of Pseudoscience and Unreliable Sources
1:28:08 Questioning the Validity of Unconventional Theories
1:29:41 The Importance of Validating Personal Experiences
1:30:42 The Nature of Belief and Reality chapter 3
1:30:42 The Importance of Evidence-Based Belief
1:31:12 Subjective vs. Objective Truth
1:31:43 The Consequences of False Beliefs
1:33:50 The Potential Benefits and Ethical Considerations of Delusions chapter 5
1:33:50 The Potential Benefits of Delusions and the Importance of Objectivity
1:34:22 Examples of Delusions with Positive Outcomes and the Need for Further Study
1:34:54 The Problem of Withholding Knowledge and the Potential for Harm
1:35:58 The Difficulty of Indulging People in Delusions and the Need for Policy Considerations
1:37:02 The Positive Effects of Near-Death and Transcendental Experiences on Personal Behavior
1:37:32 Energy Healing Research and Placebo Effect chapter 5
1:37:32 Introduction to Energy Healing Research
1:38:35 Placebo Effect and Mechanistic Cause and Effect
1:39:05 Dr. Pinker's Book and Media Presence
1:39:35 Desire for Debate with Dr. Pinker on Esoteric Concepts
1:40:39 Unpreparedness for Debate and Intense Conversation
1:41:10 Certainty and Open-Mindedness in Science chapter 3
1:41:10 Problem with Certainty and Close-Mindedness
1:42:43 Religious Extremism and Mental Illness
1:43:13 Personal Beliefs and Materialism
1:44:46 Dr. Lisa Miller's Research and Spirituality chapter 4
1:44:46 Introduction to Dr. Lisa Miller and Her Research
1:45:18 Longitudinal Study on Spirituality and Depression Risk
1:46:51 Cortical Resilience Signature and Depression Prevention
1:47:55 Discussion of Mechanistic Explanation for Spirituality's Effects
1:48:27 Planning and Research Strategy chapter 4
1:48:27 Collecting Research and Winning Over Materialists
1:48:57 Discussing Scott Barry Kaufman's Perspective
1:49:29 Inherited Memory and Dualist Approaches
1:50:01 Conclusion and Community Engagement

Transcript

Loading transcript...