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.
Looks like there’s some fair degree of distaste for Pinker here. The man is a revolutionary figure in science, and has an extremely long and fruitful career. I am a fan of Steven Pinker, and have been for many years. He’s like Chomsky in some respects, in that he will talk to anyone if he finds the discussion fruitful. It seems that for people like this, truly deep and boundless thinkers, it’s not scary to talk to people with bad ideas. It’s not even scary to explore some bad ideas. That’s how you sort them all out, ya know.
I get that some folks may not like the ideas that Pinker and Chomsky express. Hell, neither do I. But they deserve your respect. They are on the front lines of thought, and have been all of their long and productive lives.