Gladwell vs Pinker

Posted on February 16, 2011 | 2 Comments

I just stumbled across what appears to be a bit of a tiff between some of science’s heavy weights (and even some lesser knowns). Scientific smack downs are always high on my list of feuds to watch. There are sure to be some hilariously hum-drum blows thrown publicly to appreciate from afar.

The contenders are:
Malcolm Gladwell vs. Steven Pinker
With a small recurring acts from:
Steve Sailer

http://gladwell.typepad.com/gladwellcom/

http://gladwell.typepad.com/gladwellcom/2009/11/pinker-on-what-the-dog-saw.html

http://gladwell.typepad.com/gladwellcom/2009/12/pinker-round-two-.html

http://infoproc.blogspot.com/2009/11/pinker-on-gladwell.html

http://topics.nytimes.com/topics/reference/timestopics/people/p/steven_pinker/index.html?inline=nyt-per

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/29/books/review/Letters-t-LETSGOTOTHET_LETTERS.html?_r=1

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/23/books/review/Saletan-t.html?ref=stevenpinker

http://pinker.wjh.harvard.edu/index.html

Really, the comments are what you wanna focus on. That’s where the stones are hurled back and forth. My question is not why Gladwell and Pinker insist on a public pissing match, but why dear lord, does Steve Sailer devote so much time and energy on fighting Pinker’s battle. His efforts, in my opinion, only serve to effeminate his bro-friend. Or, Sailer has his sights set on science’s heavy weight pissin match belt himself.

http://www.iSteve.blogspot.com/

http://isteve.blogspot.com/2011/02/from-malcolm-gladwell-book-generator.html

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2 responses to “Gladwell vs Pinker”

  1. Pingback: Blank slate (tabula rasa) theory thoroughly debunked (Steven Pinker) | Human Stupidity: Irrationality, Self Deception

  2. Jozsef | April 29, 2011 at 4:33 am | Reply

    The “nature” of humans is that humans rely more on learning than most other species. Arguably the denial has been more a “modern denial of learning”. Indeed, Pinker claims that children don’t learn language from their parents. One wonders if he’s ever been in real world situations involving children and speech in social environments. He’s obviously ignorant of the vast body of work by behavioral psychologists which demonstrates experimentally the empirical role of various forms learning in language use by children.

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