64. Steven Pinker, An Unnecessary Defense of Reason and a Necessary Defense of the University's Role in Advancing It

FromHalf Hour of Heterodoxy

Start listening View podcast show

64. Steven Pinker, An Unnecessary Defense of Reason and a Necessary Defense of the University's Role in Advancing It

FromHalf Hour of Heterodoxy

ratings:

Length:

78 minutes

Released:

Aug 23, 2019

Format:

Podcast episode

Description

Harvard University professor and best-selling author Steven Pinker considers why open inquiry, viewpoint diversity, and constructive disagreement matter beyond the academy.

Released:

Aug 23, 2019

Format:

Podcast episode

Titles in the series (80)

Social psychologist Chris Martin talks about civility, polarization, truth, ideology, and pedagogy with Jon Haidt, John McWhorter, Alice Dreger, Glenn Loury, Cristine Legare, and others

Skip carousel

Cristine Legare on Socioeconomic Diversity & Teaching Controversial Topics: Half Hour of Heterodoxy #5: In this episode, Chris Martin (@Chrismartin76) interviews Cristine Legare (@CristineLegare), Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of Texas-Austin. She specializes in the study of culture, cultural learning, and cognition. by Half Hour of Heterodoxy
32 min listen
George Yancey (North Texas) on Anti-Christian Bias & Race Relations: Half Hour of Heterodoxy #2: This week Chris Martin talks to sociologist George Yancey, another founding member of Heterodox Academy. George Yancey teaches sociology at the University of North Texas. He has published numerous books on anti-Christian bias within the academy and in ... by Half Hour of Heterodoxy
26 min listen
Rick Shweder on Multiculturalism and Diversity: Half Hour of Heterodoxy #9: Apologies for the audio and video problems in this episode. - In this episode, Chris Martin interviews Rick (Richard) Shweder, cultural anthropologist at University of Chicago’s Department of Comparative Human Development. by Half Hour of Heterodoxy
42 min listen
Lee Jussim on Stereotype Accuracy and Biased Science: Half Hour of Heterodoxy #7: In this episode, Chris Martin (@Chrismartin76) interviews Lee Jussim (@PsychRabble), Professor of Social Psychology at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. He conducts research on stereotypes and stereotype accuracy, by Half Hour of Heterodoxy
35 min listen
Rick Mehta on Free Expression in Canadian Universities: Half Hour of Heterodoxy #30: The Canadian state of affairs, Rick’s big talk on free speech, How drug dealers are more open than professors, the bullshit receptivity scale, and other topics by Half Hour of Heterodoxy
26 min listen
Musa al-Gharbi on Social Research: Half Hour of Heterodoxy #21: Show Notes - Musa al-Gharbi is a research associate at Heterodox Academy and a PhD student in sociology at Columbia University. He is a writer whose work has been featured in The New York Times, the Washington Post, The Atlantic, by Half Hour of Heterodoxy
31 min listen
Caroline Mehl and Raffi Grinberg on OpenMind: Half Hour of Heterodoxy #24: Caroline Mehl and Raffi Grinberg direct the OpenMind Platform by Half Hour of Heterodoxy
31 min listen
Norm Ornstein on US Politics, Partisanship & Tribalism: Half Hour of Heterodoxy #11: Norm Ornstein (@NormOrnstein), is a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. He has written and co-written a number of books about gridlock and partisanship in the American political system including The Permanent Campaign and Its Future (1995), by Half Hour of Heterodoxy
30 min listen
David Frum on Trumpocracy: The Corruption of the American Republic: Half Hour of Heterodoxy #22: David Frum (@davidfrum) is a senior editor at the Atlantic Magazine and a frequent contributor at MSNBC. He is a former speechwriter for George W. Bush and is known for coining the phrase “axis of evil.” He has been a fellow at the American Enterprise ... by Half Hour of Heterodoxy
30 min listen
Sam Abrams on the Politics of the Professoriate: Half Hour of Heterodoxy #3: Political scientist Sam Abrams teaches at Sarah Lawrence College. His New York Times piece on the polarization of the New England professoriate garnered national attention. In this episode Chris Martin talks to him about what inspired his work on the p... by Half Hour of Heterodoxy
30 min listen
Jon Zimmerman on The Case for Contention: Half Hour of Heterodoxy #1: In this inaugural interview, Chris Martin speaks with Jon Zimmerman, professor of history of education at the Graduate School of Education, University of Pennsylvania. Jon Zimmerman is a former social studies teacher and Peace Corps volunteer. by Half Hour of Heterodoxy
47 min listen
Alice Dreger on How Branding Stifles Academic Freedom: Half Hour of Heterodoxy #15: Half Hour of Heterodoxy is now an audio-only podcast. We suggest that you subscribe through iTunes, Stitcher, TuneIn, or any other app of your choice, or listen using the audio player in the blog post. - Show Notes - by Half Hour of Heterodoxy
23 min listen
Matt Grossmann on Asymmetric Polarization: Half Hour of Heterodoxy #6: n this episode, Chris Martin (@Chrismartin76) talks to Matt Grossmann (@MattGrossmann), associate professor of political science at Michigan State University and director of the Institute for Public Policy and Social Research. by Half Hour of Heterodoxy
35 min listen
Jonathan Haidt on Heterodox Academy’s 2nd Anniversary: Half Hour of Heterodoxy #12: Half Hour of Heterodoxy #12: Jonathan Haidt (@JonHaidt) is a co-founder and executive director of Heterodox Academy. He is a professor of business ethics at New York University’s Stern School of Business, and has written The Happiness Hypothesis: Findi... by Half Hour of Heterodoxy
22 min listen
Richard Reeves on J.S. Mill and Liberalism: Half Hour of Heterodoxy #23: My guest today is Richard Reeves. He’s a social and political commentator and he has written for several newspapers and magazines in both the US and the UK, including The Guardian and The Atlantic. He has also written a biography of John Stuart Mill an... by Half Hour of Heterodoxy
27 min listen
Glenn Loury on Faculty and Administrators: Half Hour of Heterodoxy #13: Glenn Loury (@GlennLoury) is the Merton P. Stoltz Professor of the Social Sciences and Professor of Economics at Brown University. He has taught previously at Boston, Harvard and Northwestern Universities, and the University of Michigan. by Half Hour of Heterodoxy
38 min listen
Scott Lilienfeld on Microaggressions, and The Goldwater Rule: Half Hour of Heterodoxy #10: Scott Lilienfeld is professor of psychology at Emory University. Here, he talks about his 2016 article evaluating the psychological literature on microaggressions and his 2017 article about revoking the Goldwater rule. by Half Hour of Heterodoxy
35 min listen
Jason Stanley on How Fascism Works: Half Hour of Heterodoxy #33: Philosopher Jason Stanley talks about his new book about the rhetorical tropes of fascism by Half Hour of Heterodoxy
31 min listen
Frank Lechner on the Symmetric Polarization vs. Republican Radicalism Debate: Half Hour of Heterodoxy #19: Show Notes - Frank Lechner is a professor of sociology at Emory University. He did his undergraduate work in sociology at Tilburg University in the Netherlands, and then moved to the U.S. for his PhD. He’s the author of four books and two edited volum... by Half Hour of Heterodoxy
41 min listen
Jacques Berlinerblau on How College Works (Or Doesn’t): Half Hour of Heterodoxy #8: In this episode, Chris Martin (@Chrismartin76) interviews Jacques Berlinerblau (@berlinerblau), Professor of Jewish Civilization and director of the Center for Jewish Civilization at the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown Universit... by Half Hour of Heterodoxy
35 min listen
Arthur Sakamoto on Paradigms in Sociology: Half Hour of Heterodoxy #14: Half Hour of Heterodoxy is now an audio-only podcast. We'll still upload episodes to Youtube if you'd prefer to get them there, but we suggest that you subscribe through iTunes, Stitcher, TuneIn, or any other app of your choice, by Half Hour of Heterodoxy
27 min listen
Cristine Legare on Teaching Techniques: Half Hour of Heterodoxy #16: Show Notes - Cristine Legare is an associate professor of psychology at the University of Texas-Austin and she’s on the executive board of Heterodox Academy. She is the winner of the APS Spence Award for Transformative Early Career Contributions. by Half Hour of Heterodoxy
35 min listen
John Inazu on Confident Pluralism: Surviving and Thriving Through Deep Difference: Half Hour of Heterodoxy #26: John Inazu, professor of law and religion at Washington University, talks about his latest book by Half Hour of Heterodoxy
24 min listen
Deb Mashek on Heterodox Academy in 2018: Half Hour of Heterodoxy #20: Show Notes - Deb Mashek (@DebMashekHXA) is the new executive director of Heterodox Academy. She is currently professor of psychology at Harvey Mudd College, but will be leaving that position to serve full time as executive director. by Half Hour of Heterodoxy
20 min listen
John McWhorter on Politics and Protest: John McWhorter: Transcript of an interview by Half Hour of Heterodoxy
2 min listen
Robert Wright on Politics, Tribalism, and Mindfulness: Half Hour of Heterodoxy #28: Robert Wright is a former senior editor at The New Republic, and he currently hosts The Wright Show. He’s also the author of several bestselling books on evolution and society. His latest book Is Why Buddhism Is True. by Half Hour of Heterodoxy
45 min listen
Jessica Good on The Ups and Downs of Multiculturalism: Half Hour of Heterodoxy #31: Social psychologist Jessica Good talks about new paper showing an association between multiculturalism and race essentialism by Half Hour of Heterodoxy
24 min listen
Jeff Jones and David Askenazi on Free Expression at U.S. Universities: Half Hour of Heterodoxy #35: Survey findings about whether college students value freedom of speech, when they think censorship is appropriate, and whether they First Amendment freedoms are secure by Half Hour of Heterodoxy
25 min listen
Charlotta Stern on Gender Sociology’s Problems: Half Hour of Heterodoxy #37: The limitations of conventional sociology in explaining gender differences by Half Hour of Heterodoxy
29 min listen
Fabio Rojas on the Sociology of Activism: Half Hour of Heterodoxy #29: Fabio Rojas, author of From Black Power to Black Studies and Theory for the Working Sociologist, discusses his research on activism within academia. by Half Hour of Heterodoxy
30 min listen

More Episodes from Half Hour of Heterodoxy

Skip carousel

82. Katie Gordon, How to Effectively Help Students During the Coronavirus Pandemic: How to provide help when you're not a professional counselor. Includes a discussion of handouts, videos, and apps. by Half Hour of Heterodoxy
23 min listen
81. Amy Westervelt, How Does the Energy Industry Influence Universities?: When the fossil fuel industry donates to college and universities, their funding may come with strings attached by Half Hour of Heterodoxy
34 min listen
80. Eric Kaufmann, Whiteshift: Populism, Immigration and the Future of White Majorities: Eric Kaufmann (@kpkaufm) is my guest today. He’s a professor of politics at Birkbeck College, University of London, and he was one of the first people to join Heterodox Academy. We’ll be talking about his book Whiteshift: Populism, Immigration, by Half Hour of Heterodoxy
34 min listen
79. Jill DeTemple, A Structure for Difficult Classroom DIalogue: A technique called reflective structured dialogue enables dialogue on contentious moral and religious issues by Half Hour of Heterodoxy
34 min listen
78. Lawrence Glickman, Free Enterprise: An American History: The political evolution of the concept of free enterprise by Half Hour of Heterodoxy
37 min listen
77. James Poniewozik, Audience of One: Donald Trump, Television, and the Fracturing of America: Audience of One examines the history of television from the Reagan era to today, and illustrates how Donald Trump assiduously used television to create his persona by Half Hour of Heterodoxy
38 min listen
76. Deb Mashek, Heterodox Academy in 2020: Deb Mashek, my guest on this episode, is the executive director of Heterodox Academy. We talk about what Heterodox Academy does and Deb gives a preview of some 2020 events. by Half Hour of Heterodoxy
26 min listen
75. Carol Quillen, Leading a Liberal Arts College: Carol Quillen is my guest on this episode. She’s the president of Davidson College, my alma mater, and she is also a historian by training. She received her PhD in history from Princeton University. In 2018, by Half Hour of Heterodoxy
32 min listen
74, Phoebe Maltz Bovy, How Useful is Privilege Checking?: Bovy is the author of 'The Perils of "Privilege": Why Injustice Can’t be Solved by Accusing Others of Advantage' by Half Hour of Heterodoxy
33 min listen
73. Ilana Redstone, Heterodox Sociology: Ilana teaches a special topics course called Bigots and Snowflakes: Living in a World Where Everyone Else is Wrong by Half Hour of Heterodoxy
32 min listen
72. Tony McAleer, The Cure for Hate: A Former White Supremacist's Journey from Violent Extremism to Radical Compassion: Tony McAleer is my guest on this episode. He’s the author of the new book “The Cure for Hate: A Former White Supremacist’s Journey from Violent Extremism to Radical Compassion. He is the co-founder of Life After Hate, by Half Hour of Heterodoxy
31 min listen
71. Robert Talisse, Overdoing Democracy: Why We Must Put Politics in its Place: An argument that making politics less intense and less pervasive will improve society by Half Hour of Heterodoxy
47 min listen
70. Sheila Heen: Difficult Conversations, Part 2: Feedback in student teams, religious conversations, white lies, and false equivalence by Half Hour of Heterodoxy
35 min listen
69. Sheila Heen, Difficult Conversations for Faculty and Students, Part 1: Addressing controversial topics in classrooms; Evaluating faculty by Half Hour of Heterodoxy
31 min listen
68. Matthew H. Goldberg, From Christian Identity to Climate Action: The social psychology of how certain kinds of messages and messengers can engage Christians in climate action by Half Hour of Heterodoxy
32 min listen
67. Charlie Sykes, Conservative Media: Sykes discusses conservative radio and TV and answers questions about How the Right Lost Its Mind (2017) by Half Hour of Heterodoxy
32 min listen
66. Kevin Kruse & Julian Zelizer, Fault Lines (recorded live at AJC Decatur Book Festival): Panel and Q&A session about Fault Lines: A History of the United States Since 1974 by Half Hour of Heterodoxy
46 min listen
65. Lara Schwartz, False Equivalence: Types of false equivalence and trolling, and how to cope with them in the college classroom by Half Hour of Heterodoxy
34 min listen
63. Joanna Schug, Relational Mobility and Cultural Confusion: The limits of using individualism and collectivism as cultural concepts and the promise of relational mobility by Half Hour of Heterodoxy
28 min listen
62. Cailin O'Connor, The Misinformation Age: How False Beliefs Spread: Cailin O’Connor is a philosopher of science at the University of California-Irvine. by Half Hour of Heterodoxy
32 min listen
61. HxA Conference 2019: Short interviews with scholars, journalists, and other professionals who attended the 2019 Heterodox Academy conference by Half Hour of Heterodoxy
30 min listen
Oliver Burkeman, How the News Took Over Reality: Excessive engagement with political news is unhealthy for individual wellbeing and for democracy, Burkeman argues in a new essay. by Half Hour of Heterodoxy
30 min listen
Nicholas Christakis, Blueprint: The Evolutionary Origins of a Good Society: Evolutionary pressures gave human beings a set of social skills and desires that we can capitalize on to build a better society by Half Hour of Heterodoxy
32 min listen
Angie Maxwell, The New Southern Strategy: How the Southern Strategy extended beyond the Goldwater and Nixon eras through the present by Half Hour of Heterodoxy
37 min listen
Teresa Bejan, Mere Civility: Bejan critiques early modern debates about civility and how much disagreement we should tolerate by Half Hour of Heterodoxy
32 min listen
Heterodox Academy’s 2019 Conference: Half Hour of Heterodoxy #56: Deb Mashek and Karen Gillo give a preview of the 2019 Heterodox Academy Conference by Half Hour of Heterodoxy
10 min listen
Maria Dixon Hall, Becoming Culturally Intelligent: Maria Dixon Hall manages the Campus Cultural Intelligence program at Southern Methodist University by Half Hour of Heterodoxy
34 min listen
Arthur Sakamoto, Asian Educational Achievement (The Annex episode): This is a re-release of a podcast episode from The Annex, a sociology podcast created by Joseph Cohen (CUNY Queens College), Leslie Hinkson (Georgetown), and Gabriel Rossman (UCLA). by Half Hour of Heterodoxy
61 min listen
Christopher Federico, The Psychology of Political Behavior: People do not simply become liberal or conservative based on the strength of their psychological needs for security and certainty by Half Hour of Heterodoxy
35 min listen
Ashley Jardina, White Identity Politics: How political scientists have wrongly conflated racial identity and prejudice by Half Hour of Heterodoxy
33 min listen

Related podcast episodes

Skip carousel

Robert A. Rhoads, et al., “China’s Rising Research Universities: A New Era of Global Ambition” (Johns Hopkins UP, 2014): Robert A. Rhoads, Xiaoyang Wang, Xiaoguang Shi, Yongcai Chang are the authors of China’s Rising Research Universities: A New Era of Global Ambition (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2014). Dr. Rhoads is the Director, by New Books in Chinese Studies
53 min listen
Harvard University President Lawrence Bacow: The Value of a College Education and Investing in the Future (repost) (#112) by 3 Takeaways
24 min listen
Interview with Michael S. Roth: Dave and Steve welcome Michael S. Roth, author of Beyond the University: Why Liberal Education Matters. Michael offers wonderful perspectives on the relationship between critical thinking, the liberal arts, and interdisciplinary. He... by Headagogy, with Steve Pearlman
38 min listen
Dave Evans (Stanford Life Design Lab) - Designing the Life You Really Want by Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders
60 min listen
Bonus Replay: Voices of Mothers in Practice by Practice Disrupted by Practice of Architecture
69 min listen
Dr. Isaiah Henkel: How Smart People Focus, Grow, and Accelerate Their Way to Success: Isaiah Hankel is an internationally recognized speaker and author who helps individuals, teams and organizations develop a more entrepreneurial mindset to accelerate their business success. Isaiah’s unique background allows him to offer a... by Knowledge For Men
58 min listen
William C. Kirby, "Empires of Ideas: Creating the Modern University from Germany to America to China" (Harvard UP, 2022): An interview with William C. Kirby by New Books in the History of Science
47 min listen
The Keys to Building a Good College List: The Keys to Building a Good College List by College Admissions Decoded
36 min listen
William C. Kirby, "Empires of Ideas: Creating the Modern University from Germany to America to China" (Harvard UP, 2022): An interview with William C. Kirby by New Books in Chinese Studies
47 min listen
William C. Kirby, "Empires of Ideas: Creating the Modern University from Germany to America to China" (Harvard UP, 2022): An interview with William C. Kirby by New Books in Education
47 min listen
045: Visionary Neuroscientist Studying How Neurons Communicate and Make Connections - Dr. Josh Sanes: Dr. Josh Sanes is a Professor of Molecular and Cellular Biology and the founding Director for the Center for Brain Science at Harvard University. He received his PhD from the Program in Neurobiology at Harvard University. After graduating he worked... by People Behind the Science Podcast Stories from Scientists about Science, Life, Research, and Science Careers
31 min listen
23. PhD to corporate with Dr. Ron Shapiro by Self-Compassionate Professor
50 min listen
A New Chill in the Classroom: What to make of elite universities with scant conservative representation in their faculty ranks; mankind’s tendency to dwell on the negative; plus the question of whether this is indeed the best time to be alive? Harvard cognitive psychologist and best-... by GoodFellows: Conversations from the Hoover Institution
63 min listen
Leonard Cassuto and Robert Weisbuch, "The New PhD: How to Build a Better Graduate Education" (John Hopkins UP, 2021) by New Books in Education
73 min listen
Alexis Borisy, Finale Doshi-Velez, Pardis Sabeti by Theory and Practice
39 min listen
How to Read Scientific Papers: A Discussion with David Evans by New Books in Science
55 min listen
The Delicious History of Hershey Chocolate by Cold Call
26 min listen
Show 1338: What 80+ Years of Research Tell Us About Happiness: Have you ever wondered what makes for a meaningful life? Philosophers have debated this for centuries, but now science has something to add. The current director of the Harvard Study of Adult Development shares the findings from this long-running, by The People's Pharmacy
67 min listen
Woke Racism with Dr. Harvey Mansfield: Harvard Professor and Hoover Institution Senior Fellow Harvey C. Mansfield joins Spencer to discuss the state of woke dogma and groupthink at American universities. Mansfield reflects on the value of dissent for students who may... by The Claremont Review of Books Podcast
22 min listen
Are DEI Mandates for University Faculties a Bad Idea? by Open to Debate
53 min listen
22. Givers Need Askers: 22. Givers Need Askers: Turn the Wheel of Reciprocity and Ask “The fact is, you can be more productive, more efficient, more creative, less stressed out if you make requests for what you need and you help other people.” Guest Info: Dr. Wayne E. Bak... by R.O.G. Return on Generosity
30 min listen
Ep.187: “Stem Cell Education” Featuring Dr. Willy Lensch: Dr. Willy Lensch is Strategic Advisor to the Dean at Harvard Medical School. Previously Executive Director of the Harvard Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, his experience in research, education, administration, science policy, by The Stem Cell Podcast
69 min listen
Patricia Leavy Firebird Winner Author Interview: Patricia Leavy, Ph.D., is a best-selling, award-winning author, publisher, arts advocate, and internationally recognized leader in research design and arts-based research. She is widely considered the world’s most visible proponent of arts-based rese... by Speak Up Talk Radio Network
34 min listen
Ep. 39 – Neurodharma with Dr. Rick Hanson by The Road Home with Ethan Nichtern
57 min listen
Scholar Skills: Managing and Re-Envisioning the Academic Mid-Career: A Discussion with Vicki L. Baker by The Academic Life
63 min listen
Scholar Skills: Managing and Re-Envisioning the Academic Mid-Career: A Discussion with Vicki L. Baker by New Books in Education
63 min listen
Author Patricia Leavy Firebird Author Interview: Patricia Leavy, Ph.D., is a best-selling, award-winning author, publisher, arts advocate, and internationally recognized leader in research design and arts-based research. She is widely considered the world’s most visible proponent of arts-based resear... by Speak Up Talk Radio Network
30 min listen
Will US-China Competition Unseat US Lead in Higher Education?: As global institutions focused on research, innovation, and ideas, universities have historically been closely tied to geopolitical power. Today, America’s world-leading universities face growing competition, particularly from China, with... by Deep Dish on Global Affairs
46 min listen
Warren Treadgold, “The University We Need: Reforming American Higher Education” (Encounter Books, 2018): Though many Americans, Republicans especially, regard universities as heavily disposed to the political left, few people understand how much this matters, how it happened, how deeply ideologically siloed the academy is, or what can be done about it. by New Books in Education
48 min listen
Kenneth Brashier, “Public Memory in Early China” (Harvard University Asia Center, 2014): Ken Brashier’s new book is another tour de force and must-read for scholars of Chinese studies. Public Memory in Early China (Harvard University Asia Center, 2014) offers a history of identity and public memory in early China. by New Books in Chinese Studies
71 min listen

Discover this podcast and so much more

64. Steven Pinker, An Unnecessary Defense of Reason and a Necessary Defense of the University's Role in Advancing It

64. Steven Pinker, An Unnecessary Defense of Reason and a Necessary Defense of the University's Role in Advancing It

Description

Titles in the series (80)

More Episodes from Half Hour of Heterodoxy

Related podcast episodes