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I couldn't agree more with Pinker's answer to the most underrated author / thinker. Thomas Sowell has extremely unique insights and perspectives to offer on a p

I couldn't agree more with Pinker's answer to the most underrated author / thinker. Thomas Sowell has extremely unique insights and perspectives to offer on a plethora of topics, I actually learned better ways to think about data from some of his research. But whether you agree with his conclusions or not, you should definitely be aware of the arguments and the data he presents.

kiliantics 9y ago
Wow. I didn't read the interview but if Pinker is endorsing Uncle Tom Sowell as a great thinker, then Pinker has gone a lot farther down in my estimation than he had already lately gone. Thomas Sowell is a hack, essentially bought by conservative/libertarian interests to give them a less racist appearance. I really enjoyed reading about Pinker's work in linguistics but he has lately been making more of a name for himself in popularising ideas that I can't understand to be anything other than centrist propaganda. What is it with certain Canadian psychologists feeling the need to meddle outside their field of expertise and join the conservative side of the culture wars today?
- jfaucett 9y ago
  > Thomas Sowell is a hack, essentially bought by conservative/libertarian interests to give them a less racist appearance. You can disagree with the guy's arguments and ideas but calling him a hack, an Uncle Tom, and bought out is just blatant defamatory lies. It certainly doesn't further productive discussion in any way about any of the claims he ever makes. Also Pinker is not endorsing Thomas Sowell, he was asked what author is the most underrated. For instance, if you asked me who I thought the most influential thinker of the 19th century is, I would say either Nietzsche or Marx, that doesn't mean I endorse everything they ever wrote or stood for.
- jeffdavis 9y ago
  Did you actually read any of his books? Conquests and Cultures was very interesting.
  - tim333 9y ago
    I was going to say that. A "hack, essentially bought by conservative/libertarian interests" is completely out of line with the impression I got reading his stuff.

kiliantics 9y ago

Wow. I didn't read the interview but if Pinker is endorsing Uncle Tom Sowell as a great thinker, then Pinker has gone a lot farther down in my estimation than he had already lately gone. Thomas Sowell is a hack, essentially bought by conservative/libertarian interests to give them a less racist appearance. I really enjoyed reading about Pinker's work in linguistics but he has lately been making more of a name for himself in popularising ideas that I can't understand to be anything other than centrist propaganda. What is it with certain Canadian psychologists feeling the need to meddle outside their field of expertise and join the conservative side of the culture wars today?

jfaucett 9y ago
> Thomas Sowell is a hack, essentially bought by conservative/libertarian interests to give them a less racist appearance. You can disagree with the guy's arguments and ideas but calling him a hack, an Uncle Tom, and bought out is just blatant defamatory lies. It certainly doesn't further productive discussion in any way about any of the claims he ever makes. Also Pinker is not endorsing Thomas Sowell, he was asked what author is the most underrated. For instance, if you asked me who I thought the most influential thinker of the 19th century is, I would say either Nietzsche or Marx, that doesn't mean I endorse everything they ever wrote or stood for.
jeffdavis 9y ago
Did you actually read any of his books? Conquests and Cultures was very interesting.
- tim333 9y ago
  I was going to say that. A "hack, essentially bought by conservative/libertarian interests" is completely out of line with the impression I got reading his stuff.