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How the Mind Works: Steven Pinker (1997)

The 92nd Street Y, New York・69 minutes read

Professor Stephen Pinker discusses the computational theory of mind and evolution while presenting his book "How the Mind Works" at the 92nd Street Y, emphasizing the brain's information processing, its complex computations, and the appearance of design through natural selection. Pinker explores how humans specialize in mental tools, develop intuitive theories about the world, and utilize tools and technologies to survive and thrive, showcasing the cognitive processes and evolutionary foundations of human behavior and emotions.

Insights

Stephen Pinker discusses the brain's computation, emphasizing its unique processing of information for intelligence, contrasting it with digital computers' limitations.
Pinker delves into evolution, comparing understanding complex devices to reverse engineering, highlighting how natural selection explains the appearance of design in the natural world.
Pinker explores the concept of intuitive psychology, showcasing how humans understand behavior based on beliefs and desires, with neurological evidence supporting distinct brain functions for living versus man-made objects.

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Recent questions

What is discussed in Professor Pinker's book?
Various insights from different disciplines like neuroscience.
How does Pinker explain the brain's computation?
By contrasting it with digital computers' limitations.
What does Pinker suggest about psychology?
It is a form of reverse engineering.
How does Pinker explain the appearance of design in the natural world?
Through natural selection proposed by Darwin.
What is the role of intuition in human cognition?
To guide understanding and problem-solving tasks.

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Summary

00:00

"Stephen Pinker: How the Mind Works"

The 92nd Street Y Humanity's audio archives are funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Susan Engel, director of the adult division at the Charles Simon Center for adult life and learning, introduces Professor Stephen Pinker.
Professor Pinker, a psychology professor at MIT, discusses his new book "How the Mind Works" at the 92nd Street Y.
Pinker's book covers insights from various disciplines like neuroscience, economics, and social psychology.
Pinker explains the concept of computation in the brain, emphasizing the processing of information for intelligence.
He contrasts the brain's computation with the limitations of digital computers, highlighting the brain's complexity and reliability.
Pinker discusses the computational theory of mind, which guides brain science and explains how beliefs and desires influence behavior.
The second key idea Pinker discusses is evolution, comparing understanding complex devices to reverse engineering.
He explains how natural selection, as proposed by Darwin, can explain the appearance of design in the natural world, including the complexity of the mind.
Pinker suggests that psychology is a form of reverse engineering, aiming to understand the computations installed in the brain for survival and reproduction in our evolutionary history.

18:15

"Mind's Evolution: Problem-solving, Computation, and Perception"

The mind is designed to solve various problems, leading to specialization in mental tools similar to biological specialization in organs.
The mind is proposed to consist of mental systems, organs, and tissues, organized for different problem-solving tasks.
The mind is viewed as a system of computation that helped ancestors understand and outsmart objects, animals, plants, and other humans.
The process of seeing involves the brain processing a mammoth spreadsheet of brightness values to reconstruct a three-dimensional world.
The brain uses the "shape from shading" technique to interpret brightness changes as angles, allowing the perception of three-dimensional surfaces.
Illusions and maladaptive behaviors may arise from mismatches between ancestral assumptions and modern contrived environments.
Humans entered the cognitive niche by using an understanding of cause and effect to overtake other animals' fixed defenses.
Humans in all cultures have developed sophisticated technologies, tools, weapons, and medicines to survive and thrive.
Humans possess intuitive theories about how the world works, including intuitive physics and intuitive biology.
Babies as young as three months old show an understanding of stable objects and basic laws of physics, indicating early cognitive development.

36:10

Intuitive knowledge shapes human understanding and behavior.

Tribes have numerous words for local flora and fauna that align closely with professional biologists' classifications, often requiring a reevaluation of similarities and hidden traits among different species.
Hunters and gatherers utilize intuitive knowledge to track, predict, and interpret animal behaviors, enabling them to strategize and ambush effectively.
An intuitive engineering sense in humans is evident through the appreciation and understanding of tools, artifacts, and man-made objects, emphasizing the core intuition of function.
Human dependence on tools is notable, with the concept of a tool being defined by its intended function rather than material or shape, exemplified by the diverse forms chairs can take.
Intuitive psychology in understanding others involves recognizing behavior as driven by beliefs and desires, with young children demonstrating an early grasp of predicting behavior based on thoughts.
Neurological and genetic evidence showcases distinct brain functions for naming living versus man-made objects, with conditions like autism highlighting deficits in intuitive psychology.
Misapplications of intuitive faculties can lead to humor, animistic beliefs, and conceptualizing living things or artifacts with human-like qualities, showcasing the boundaries of these cognitive processes.
Disgust, a universal emotion triggered by various stimuli, serves as a protective mechanism against potentially harmful or contaminated food sources, rooted in evolutionary advantages and cultural taboos.
The emotion of disgust also involves a sense of contamination by contact, where objects can be tainted by association, reflecting an intuitive microbiology concept that predates germ theory.
Emotions about other people, often intense and seemingly irrational, can be viewed through the Strategic Theory, suggesting that passion and emotional responses serve strategic purposes in social interactions and relationships.

54:07

The Power of Romantic Love in Relationships

The challenge of making promises credible is crucial in relationships, especially in Romance where the possibility of someone better appearing in the future can lead to breaking promises.
Rational strategies in relationships can lead to distrust and the inability to establish mutually beneficial relationships due to the anticipation of future changes.
Romantic love serves as a guarantor in relationships, ensuring the implicit promise is upheld, similar to laws that empower banks to foreclose on mortgages.
The evolution of romantic love is evident in its universal presence across human societies and history, contradicting the belief that it is a recent social construct.
Courtship strategies emphasize the uniqueness and involuntary nature of romantic love, distinguishing it from rational decision-making processes.
Physiological symptoms during passionate emotions serve as signals to others, indicating sincerity and lack of rational control over actions.
Passionate love and loyalty act as guarantees that promises are not double-crossed, while passionate vengeance and anger ensure threats are not bluffs.
Irrational behavior, like pursuing vengeance regardless of personal cost, can deter others from challenging or defying individuals.
The concept of memes, cultural elements that replicate and spread, can explain the popularity of certain beliefs or behaviors but may not fully capture the complexity of human creativity and understanding.
The exploration of negative emotions, like disgust and fear, through controlled exposure to stimuli can expand personal boundaries and demonstrate resilience, challenging the limits of avoidance behaviors.

01:12:17

"Anxiety triggers Freudian defense mechanisms, consciousness debated."

Anxiety can trigger Freudian defense mechanisms like denial, repression, projection, and reaction formation to protect conscious beliefs.
Negative remarks sting when they contain elements of truth that the individual is reluctant to acknowledge publicly.
Trivers' re-evaluation of Freud's theory suggests that certain psychological aspects may be hardwired in the brain but not necessarily present at birth.
Babies' ability to recognize physical constraints at three months suggests an inherent mental apparatus guiding their understanding of stable objects in the world.
Consciousness can be understood in different senses, including Freud's distinction between conscious and unconscious brain activities and the subjective experience of feeling and seeing.
The concept of the soul is debated, with some attributing consciousness to the soul while others argue it stems from brain activity.
Wearing prisms that invert vision can lead to the brain adapting to the new visual-motor mapping, showcasing the brain's adaptability.
Thought processes involve reasoning, predicting, and planning based on internal media of languages, while language is the communication channel for sharing thoughts.
The mind is the brain's information processing activity, with bodily sensations ultimately originating from brain signals, leading to phenomena like phantom limb sensations.
Darwin's response to creationist arguments about the complexity of organs like the eye highlights the existence of intermediate designs in simpler organisms, supporting the evolutionary process.

01:31:08

Evolution of Eye in Computer Simulation

A computer simulation showcased in a discussion on how the mind works revealed that with just three layers of tissue and mutations altering transparency and thickness, an eye could evolve on a computer screen following Darwinian principles. Over approximately 400,000 generations, the accumulation of beneficial mutations could result in the development of an eye, highlighting the validity of evolutionary processes in response to creationist arguments.

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