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If you enjoyed this article, check out the book _The_Language_Instinct_ by Steven Pinker, which is all about the cognitive basis behind language. He has a good

by frankus 18y ago

If you enjoyed this article, check out the book _The_Language_Instinct_ by Steven Pinker, which is all about the cognitive basis behind language. He has a good followup that I haven't quite gotten through yet, called _The_Stuff_of_Thought_ that's a bit more about how rules of language serve as clues to how the brain processes information. A couple of his other books are less related to language, but equally good: _The_Blank_Slate_ and _How_the_Mind_Works_. They're all pretty accessible (certainly to a crowd like the one that reads HN), if not exactly light reading.

joe_bleau 18y ago
I just finished _The Blank Slate_ a few weeks ago. I had the overriding impression that it could have been 50% shorter had he been a little less defensive. Too much of the book seemed to be pre-emptive explanations to defuse potential criticisms or misinterpretations of some of his arguments. I've never read a book like this before, so maybe that style is common to the genre and I just didn't know to expect it?
- jk4930 18y ago
  It's probably defensive because most folks in the sociology / humanities departments _hate_ evolutionary psychology, sociobiology etc. and call it fascist, racist, elitist. Trust me on this, I know their reactions on such topics.
  - omouse 18y ago
    Yeah, considering that the evolutionary psychologists don't actually understand evolution, their defensiveness is expected: http://www.slate.com/id/2124503/ http://www.slate.com/id/2124503/
biohacker42 18y ago
The Language Instinct should be required reading for all hackers.
- yan 18y ago
  It's a very important book, but I don't know about "required reading for all hackers"
  - mechanical_fish 18y ago
    Let's put it another way: If you are a hacker, and you have not read The Language Instinct, you are missing out.
sharpn 18y ago
Pinker has a good 'atgoogle talks' vid on youtube that summarises his thoughts on the topic well.

by frankus 18y ago

joe_bleau 18y ago

I just finished _The Blank Slate_ a few weeks ago. I had the overriding impression that it could have been 50% shorter had he been a little less defensive. Too much of the book seemed to be pre-emptive explanations to defuse potential criticisms or misinterpretations of some of his arguments. I've never read a book like this before, so maybe that style is common to the genre and I just didn't know to expect it?

jk4930 18y ago
It's probably defensive because most folks in the sociology / humanities departments _hate_ evolutionary psychology, sociobiology etc. and call it fascist, racist, elitist. Trust me on this, I know their reactions on such topics.
- omouse 18y ago
  Yeah, considering that the evolutionary psychologists don't actually understand evolution, their defensiveness is expected: http://www.slate.com/id/2124503/ http://www.slate.com/id/2124503/

biohacker42 18y ago

The Language Instinct should be required reading for all hackers.

yan 18y ago
It's a very important book, but I don't know about "required reading for all hackers"
- mechanical_fish 18y ago
  Let's put it another way: If you are a hacker, and you have not read The Language Instinct, you are missing out.

sharpn 18y ago

Pinker has a good 'atgoogle talks' vid on youtube that summarises his thoughts on the topic well.