Stream Your Event | Partners | Speakers CART ITEMS: - | CHECKOUT

Steven Pinker - The Stuff of Thought

Watch Full Video | free previews

Commonwealth Club of California

Commonwealth Club

Info
Bio
Chapters
Preview
Zoom In

Steven Pinker - Why Politicians Use Empty Language

05 min 19 sec

Add to Profile

Psychologist Steven Pinker explains the reasons why political rhetoric tends to be vague, empty, and bland.

Veiled innuendo allow politicians to avoid angering voters while speaking to supporters who understand the coded language.
Steven Pinker Explains Why Innuendo Works

04 min 36 sec

Add to Profile

Steven Pinker explains the use of indirect speech and innuendo as a way of maintaining relationships on the concept of mutual knowledge.

Drawing from the example of When Harry Met Sally, Pinker concludes that innuendo succeeds when two people know something independently and are able to doubt whether the other knows as well.
Steven Pinker on the Psychology of Swear Words

06 min 22 sec

Add to Profile

Harvard psychologist Steven Pinker explains the emotional weight and societal meaning of taboo or curse words.

Pinker names the primary sources of these words to stem from excretion, sex, religion, and minority groups.
Watch Full Program

01 hr 03 min 44 sec

Add to Profile

There are 4 comments on this program

Please or register to post a comment.

Previous FORAtv comments:

SKJ

Posted: 06.05.11, 12:21 PM

Great talk. After watching a talk on fora I ask myself "what did I learn for this talk" and usually I can think of one or two points that are really worth remembering. For think one I can think of at least six, and I'm sure that I have forgot some. I have to watch this again some day!

kchartstein

Posted: 04.29.09, 12:23 PM

This lecture was as entertaining as it was enlightening. I especially liked Pinker's comments on the use of swear words to elicit emotional responses.

Visions&Connections

Posted: 10.11.08, 11:11 AM

Steven Pinker is Brilliant. He explores the use of linguistics in such a complicated but simple manner as well. He probes into the psychology of words in the common world. The connection between language and mind is quite intriguing.

journeyer58

Posted: 09.20.08, 08:06 AM

This is an eye-opening, and entertaining speech. It shows the viewer the uses of language and idiomatic speech. Show more speeches like this, this can engage the viewer with the ideal of knowledge.

Watch Commonwealth Club of California

$99.95/Year

Unlimited access to all programs

Watch Steven Pinker - The Stuff of Thought

$4.95

30 Days Unlimited Viewing