In this follow-up to "The Language Instinct", the author extends the Darwinian cognitive approach of his previous book to the mind in general, covering its aspects from vision, memory and consciousness to humour, fear, lust and anger.
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.
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.
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.
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.
