Statisticians tell us that people underestimate the sheer number of coincidences that are bound to happen in a world governed by chance.
Steven PinkerWe adults protect ourselves with laws, police, workplace regulations and social norms and there is no conceivable reason why children should be left more vulnerable, other that laziness or callousness in considering what life is like from their point of view.
Steven PinkerBut the newest research is showing that many properties of the brain are genetically organized, and don't depend on information coming in from the senses.
Steven PinkerMy politics were pretty anarchistic until 1969 when the Montreal police went on strike. Within hours, mayhem and rioting broke out and the Mounties had to be called in to restore order. It instilled in me that one's convictions can be subjected to empirical test.
Steven Pinker