How common knowledge shapes the world | Steven Pinker

How common knowledge shapes the world | Steve...

Up next

Does working hard really make you a good person? | Azim Shariff (re-release)

Around the world, people who work hard are often seen as morally good -- even if they produce little to no results. Social psychologist Azim Shariff analyzes the roots of this belief and suggests a shift towards a more meaningful way to think about effort, rather than admiring wo ...  Show more

The kind of AI we actually need | Van Jones

Social entrepreneur Van Jones believes a new human civilization is being born in real time — and that our technology is racing ahead of our wisdom. In this urgent and hopeful talk, he reframes the AI debate, showing why the real danger isn't the technology itself but rather the c ...  Show more

Recommended Episodes

How common knowledge shapes the world | Steven Pinker
TED Talks Daily

Common knowledge is the secret engine of social life, letting us coordinate everything from meet-ups to markets to international diplomacy. In this fascinating talk, experimental cognitive scientist Steven Pinker explores its momentous impact, threading together stories of why au ...  Show more

4 Ways to Use Common Knowledge to be Happier with Steven Pinker
Office Hours with Arthur Brooks

Learn more about your affect profile by taking the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule quiz (PANAS) here. So much of life depends not only on what we know, but also on what we know that others know as well. This shared awareness—what social scientists call common knowledge—expl ...  Show more

Steven Pinker on Coordination, Common Knowledge, and the Retreat of Liberal Enlightenment
Conversations with Tyler

Steven Pinker returns to Conversations with Tyler with an argument that common knowledge—those infinite loops of "I know that you know that I know"—is the hidden infrastructure that enables human coordination, from accepting paper money to toppling dictators. But Tyler wonders: i ...  Show more

Steven Pinker on Speculation Bubbles, Super Bowl Ads, and What Leaders Need to Know About Group Psychology
HBR IdeaCast

As a leader, psychology is fundamental to your success - whether that means understanding consumer behavior, team dynamics, or even your own biases and blind spots. Harvard professor Steven Pinker says that an important phenomena to understand is that of common knowledge and its ...  Show more