Psychologist and writer’s appearance on Aporia condemned for helping to normalise ‘dangerous, discredited ideas’
The Harvard psychologist and bestselling author Steven Pinker appeared on the podcast of Aporia, an outlet whose owners advocate for a revival of race science and have spoken of seeking “legitimation by association” by platforming more mainstream figures.
The appearance underlines past incidents in which Pinker has encountered criticism for his association with advocates of so-called “human biodiversity”, which other academics have called a “rebranding” of racial genetic essentialism and scientific racism.
Pinker’s appearance marks another milestone in the efforts of many in Silicon Valley and rightwing media and at the fringes of science to rehabilitate previously discredited models of a biologically determined racial hierarchy.
I mean it’s very often used in that way, but evolutionary psychology isn’t quite the same as phrenology. To be clear, there are definitely people who are using evolutionary psychology to justify their racism, but like… how would you discuss the evolution of depression unless you’re speculating about something that could be considered to be evolutionary psychology?
I mean I guess you could argue that all psychology is sort of just a byproduct, but that hardly seems scientific at all.
So while I’m equally concerned about racists and bigots using pseudoscience to justify their backwards beliefs, I don’t believe the whole approach of evolutionary psychology is complete bunk.
Please do enlighten me if you can.
You know what else is pretty unfalsifiable, but still pretty darn usable? Proto-Indo-European, but I’m pretty sure they’ve got some of it right.