Dans le domaine scientifique, l'humanité ne cesse de progresser. Mais partout ailleurs, elle semble perdre la tête. Comment une espèce capable d'explorer Mars et de développer des vaccins en moins d'un an peut-elle produire autant de fake news et de théories du complot, qui prolifèrent même dans les milieux les plus éduqués ? L'humain est-il un animal irrationnel et incorrigible, victime d'illusions et d'erreurs de raisonnement ?
Steven Pinker prend le contre-pied des idées reçues. Non, les humains ne sont pas dominés par leurs instincts. Depuis les chasseurs-cueilleurs, nous sommes dotés d'un cerveau capable de résoudre des problèmes complexes. Au cours des millénaires, l'espèce humaine a ainsi mis au point des outils de raisonnement d'une extraordinaire efficacité. Le problème, c'est que personne, ni aucune école, ne nous apprend à raisonner. Et qu'il ne suffit pas d'être intelligent pour être rationnel !
Formidable pédagogue, Steven Pinker nous expose avec clarté et humour les outils de raisonnement à notre disposition, si utiles dans un monde menacé par l'irrationalité. Aussi, ce livre est à la fois un antidote pour affronter les temps troublés et un manuel d'autodéfense intellectuelle.
« Dans une époque qui semble sombre et angoissante, Steven Pinker apporte un regard incroyablement constructif et positif. » The New York Times
Pourquoi nous avons raison de croire en la science, l'humanisme et le progrès.
En 75 graphiques à couper le souffle et 17 chapitres, Steven Pinker montre que la santé, la prospérité, la sécurité, la paix, la connaissance et le bonheur sont en hausse, dans le monde entier. L'humanité n'a jamais vécu une période aussi paisible et heureuse.
Ce progrès ne résulte pas d'une force cosmique mais d'un legs des Lumières. Non que Pinker plaide pour un retour à tous les aspects des Lumières, mais il en défend les idées fondatrices amplifiées depuis entre autres par Charles Darwin ou Karl Popper.
Histoire de la violence et de son déclin. L'épopée de l'humanité racontée par l'un des plus grands scientifiques mondiaux : un livre majeur qui redonne foi en notre espèce.
Un auteur de premier plan : Steven Pinker est professeur de psychologie à l'Université Harvard. Ses recherches sur la cognition et la psychologie du langage sont reconnus et couronnés dans le monde entier.
Un livre exceptionnel : Pourquoi ce déclin de la violence ? Selon Pinker, il est peu probable que la nature profonde de l'homme ait changé. Nous possédons toujours un penchant pour la violence (la part de nos « démons intérieurs ») dû à notre évolution, ainsi qu'« une part d'ange», qui fait contrepoids à cette violence. En revanche, notre environnement matériel et historique détermine quelle part prend le dessus.
?Quelles sont les structures universelles du langage ? Quelles sont ses bases biologiques ? Que savent les bébés en naissant ? Existe-t-il des gènes de la grammaire ? Parviendra-t-on à recréer le langage humain par l'intelligence artificielle ? Quelle différence entre les humains et les animaux ? Pense-t-on en langage ou en image ? Existe-t-il une "langue mère" ? Pourquoi existe-t-il autant de langues différentes ? Et pourquoi est-il si difficile d'en apprendre une, à l'âge adulte ? Voici la somme la plus élaborée et la plus accessible sur le langage, par l'une des personnalités les plus brillantes du monde scientifique international. ?Steven Pinker a dirigé le Centre de neurosciences cognitives du Massachusetts Institute for Technology (MIT), pendant plus de vingt ans. Depuis 2003, il enseigne à l'Université Harvard. Il a également publié Comment fonctionne l'esprit et Comprendre la nature humaine.
A TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR 2021br>br> ''Punchy, funny and invigorating ... Pinker is the high priest of rationalism'' Sunday Timesbr>br> ''If you''ve ever considered taking drugs to make yourself smarter, read Rationality instead. It''s cheaper, more entertaining, and more effective'' Jonathan Haidt, author of The Righteous Mindbr>br> In the twenty-first century, humanity is reaching new heights of scientific understanding - and at the same time appears to be losing its mind. How can a species that discovered vaccines for Covid-19 in less than a year produce so much fake news, quack cures and conspiracy theorizing?br>br> In Rationality, Pinker rejects the cynical cliche that humans are simply an irrational species - cavemen out of time fatally cursed with biases, fallacies and illusions. After all, we discovered the laws of nature, lengthened and enriched our lives and set the benchmarks for rationality itself. Instead, he explains, we think in ways that suit the low-tech contexts in which we spend most of our lives, but fail to take advantage of the powerful tools of reasoning we have built up over millennia: logic, critical thinking, probability, causal inference, and decision-making under uncertainty. These tools are not a standard part of our educational curricula, and have never been presented clearly and entertainingly in a single book - until now.br>br> Rationality matters. It leads to better choices in our lives and in the public sphere, and is the ultimate driver of social justice and moral progress. Brimming with insight and humour, Rationality will enlighten, inspire and empower.br>br> ''A terrific book, much-needed for our time'' Peter Singer>
Argues that humankind has become progressively less violent, over millenia and decades. This title shows that violence within and between societies - both murder and warfare - really has declined from prehistory to today. It also argues that modernity and its cultural institutions are actually making us better people.
Looks at one of the most fundamental of our species' distinguishing characteristics: the use of language. The author argues that our language abilities are part of our genetic inheritance, not a cultural artefact, and that language is a basic human instinct.
Why do we laugh? What makes memories fade? Why do people believe in ghosts? How the Mind Works explores every aspect of mental life, showing that our minds are not a mystery, but a system of organs of computation designed by natural selection.
Steven Pinker, the bestselling author of The Language Instinct , deploys his gift for explaining big ideas in The Sense of Style - an entertaining writing guide for the 21st century What is the secret of good prose? Does writing well even matter in an age of instant communication? Should we care? In this funny, thoughtful book about the modern art of writing, Steven Pinker shows us why we all need a sense of style. More than ever before, the currency of our social and cultural lives is the written word, from Twitter and texting to blogs, e-readers and old-fashioned books. But most style guides fail to prepare people for the challenges of writing in the 21st century, portraying it as a minefield of grievous errors rather than a form of pleasurable mastery. They fail to deal with an inescapable fact about language: it changes over time, adapted by millions of writers and speakers to their needs. Confusing changes in the world with moral decline, every generation believes the kids today are degrading society and taking language with it. A guide for the new millennium, writes Steven Pinker, has to be different. Drawing on the latest research in linguistics and cognitive science, Steven Pinker replaces the recycled dogma of previous style guides with reason and evidence. This thinking person's guide to good writing shows why style still matters: in communicating effectively, in enhancing the spread of ideas, in earning a reader's trust and, not least, in adding beauty to the world. Eye-opening, mind-expanding and cheerful, The Sense of Style shows that good style is part of what it means to be human.
L'idée que chacun de nous se fait de la nature humaine affecte toute notre vie, de la manière dont nous élevons nos enfants à nos positions politiques.
Les sciences permettent aujourd'hui de mieux la comprendre, de mieux cerner les structures innées qui régissent nos pensées et nos sentiments. Et pourtant, beaucoup redoutent que ces découvertes ne viennent justifier les inégalités sociales, empêcher le progrès, ruiner la notion même de liberté et de responsabilité. S'appuyant sur les données scientifiques les plus récentes, Steven Pinker dénonce les dogmes qui obscurcissent la vision de ce que nous sommes.
Malgré sa popularité auprès de nombreux intellectuels au cours du XXe siècle, l'idée que tout en nous est acquis a peut-être fait plus de mal que de bien. Après tout, elle nie notre commune humanité et nous égare en matière d'éducation ou de politique. Non, l'idée de nature humaine n'est pas dangereuse !
'My new favourite book of all time' Bill Gates TOP TEN SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER Is modernity really failing? Or have we failed to appreciate progress and the ideals that make it possible? If you follow the headlines, the world in the 21st century appears to be sinking into chaos, hatred, and irrationality. Yet Steven Pinker shows that this is an illusion - a symptom of historical amnesia and statistical fallacies. If you follow the trendlines rather than the headlines, you discover that our lives have become longer, healthier, safer, happier, more peaceful, more stimulating and more prosperous - not just in the West, but worldwide. Such progress is no accident: it's the gift of a coherent and inspiring value system that many of us embrace without even realizing it. These are the values of the Enlightenment: of reason, science, humanism and progress. The challenges we face today are formidable, including inequality, climate change, Artificial Intelligence and nuclear weapons. But the way to deal with them is not to sink into despair or try to lurch back to a mythical idyllic past; it's to treat them as problems we can solve, as we have solved other problems in the past. In making the case for an Enlightenment newly recharged for the 21st century, Pinker shows how we can use our faculties of reason and sympathy to solve the problems that inevitably come with being products of evolution in an indifferent universe. We will never have a perfect world, but - defying the chorus of fatalism and reaction - we can continue to make it a better one.
Analyses what words actually mean and how we use them, and reveals what this can tell us about ourselves. This book shows how we use space and motion as metaphors for more abstract ideas, and uncovers the deeper structures of human thought that have been shaped by evolutionary history. It also explores the emotional impact of language.
Steven Pinker is one of the world''s most influential thinkers and writers on the human condition. His popular and highly praised books include The Better Angels of Our Nature, The Sense of Style, The Stuff of Thought, The Blank Slate, How the Mind Works, and The Language Instinct. The recipient of several major awards for his teaching, books, and scientific research, Pinker is Harvard College Professor and Johnstone Family Professor of Psychology at Harvard University. He also writes frequently for The New York Times, the Guardian and other publications. He has been named Humanist of the Year, Prospect magazine''s "The World''s Top 100 Public Intellectuals," Foreign Policy''s "100 Global Thinkers," and Time magazine''s "The 100 Most Influential People in the World Today.">
What is the truth about human nature? Steven Pinker argues that our usual explanations of human behaviour - stated most clearly in the human sciences of psychology, ethics and politics - tend to deny what is now undeniable: the role of an inherited human nature.
THE CASE FOR REASON SCIENCE HUMANISM AND PROGRESS TSD- «THE BETTER ANGELS OF OUR NATURE» ABOUT HUMAN PROGRESS THE FOLLOW-UP TO PINKER'S PATHBREAKING THE BETTER ANGELS OF OUR NATURE ARGUES THAT DESPITE THE RAMPANT PESSIMISM ABOUT THE STATE OF THE WORLD TODAY, THE FACTS PROVE THAT WE ARE ON A SIGNIFICANT PATH UPWARD AND CAN CONTINUE THAT WAY, BUT ONLY IF WE UNDERSTAND THE IDEALS (AND EMBRACE THE TOOLS) THAT HAVE CREATED THAT PROGRESS. A NECESSARY COUNTER TO THE CURRENT GOSPEL OF DOOM.
Are things really going to hell in a handbasket? In this elegant and urgent assessment of the human condition in the third millennium,cognitive scientist and public intellectual Steven Pinker proves that--despite the robust market for prophecies of woe--we're living longer, healthier, safer, richer, freer, happier, and more meaningful lives worldwide. The problems we face are formidable, but we have the tools to solve them. Our best days are, indeed, still ahead of us.
Progress is not inevitable, or the result of some mysterious force, he argues; it is the fruit of a system of beliefs and values that many of us embrace without even realizing it. These are the ideals of the Enlightenment: the conviction that we can use reason and science to enhance human flourishing. Far from being a naïve dream, the Enlightenment, we now know, has worked. Pinker shows in more than sixty jaw-dropping graphs that humanity is far better off than it was decades and centuries ago.
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK OF 2018 ONE OF THE ECONOMIST'S BOOKS OF THE YEAR "My new favorite book of all time." --Bill Gates If you think the world is coming to an end, think again: people are living longer, healthier, freer, and happier lives, and while our problems are formidable, the solutions lie in the Enlightenment ideal of using reason and science. Is the world really falling apart? Is the ideal of progress obsolete? In this elegant assessment of the human condition in the third millennium, cognitive scientist and public intellectual Steven Pinker urges us to step back from the gory headlines and prophecies of doom, which play to our psychological biases. Instead, follow the data: In seventy-five jaw-dropping graphs, Pinker shows that life, health, prosperity, safety, peace, knowledge, and happiness are on the rise, not just in the West, but worldwide. This progress is not the result of some cosmic force. It is a gift of the Enlightenment: the conviction that reason and science can enhance human flourishing. Far from being a naïve hope, the Enlightenment, we now know, has worked. But more than ever, it needs a vigorous defense. The Enlightenment project swims against currents of human nature--tribalism, authoritarianism, demonization, magical thinking--which demagogues are all too willing to exploit. Many commentators, committed to political, religious, or romantic ideologies, fight a rearguard action against it. The result is a corrosive fatalism and a willingness to wreck the precious institutions of liberal democracy and global cooperation. With intellectual depth and literary flair, Enlightenment Now makes the case for reason, science, and humanism: the ideals we need to confront our problems and continue our progress.
Qu'est-ce que l'esprit ? comment a-t-il évolué ? comment nous permet-il de voir, de penser, d'avoir des sentiments, d'interagir avec autrui, de jouer et d'éprouver des émotions esthétiques ?
Steven pinker, l'un des phares des sciences cognitives, aborde, avec l'humour et l'inventivité qui ont fait sa célébrité, ces problèmes théoriques ambitieux à travers une foule de questions quotidiennes : pourquoi sommes-nous naturellement séduits par un visage maquillé ? pourquoi l'idée de manger des vers nous dégoûte-t-elle ? pourquoi les fous aussi tombent-ils amoureux ? pourquoi aimons-nous la peinture et la musique ? la synthèse la plus puissante et la plus accessible à ce jour sur ce que les neurosciences peuvent nous dire aujourd'hui de nous-mêmes.
Looks at one of the most fundamental of our species' distinguishing characteristics: the use of language. The author argues that our language abilities are part of our genetic inheritance, not a cultural artefact, and that language is a basic human instinct.
Presents a study of the relationship between language and human nature, explaining how everything from swearing and innuendo to prepositions and baby names reveals facts about key human concepts, emotions, and relationships.
