Book · 2007 · Psychology
The Stuff of Thought
Language as a Window Into Human Nature
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And I think this is a I mean Steven Pinker talks about this all the time in his books but and it's criticized for it because a lot of people don't like the idea that things are getting better and they want to dwell on the negative aspects and they want to they want to magnify those and make it.
Joe Rogan · The Joe Rogan Experience · Oct 2019 Listen at 10:41 The best things said about it
Question: you've got this kind of euphemism treadmill that Stephen Pinker talks about where it starts off as a bad word, but then people use it more and more, and then you get used to it, and then it falls away, and then you need to come up with another bad word.
Why people recommend it
The Stuff of Thought by Steven Pinker explores how language reveals the inner workings of human nature and thought. The book has garnered significant attention across several popular podcast episodes. On Freakonomics Radio during the episode titled 540. Swearing Is More Important Than You Think, released on April 20, 2023, the host examined the fascinating linguistic phenomenon known as the euphemism treadmill. The host noted that Steven Pinker famously describes how words frequently begin as taboo expressions, but as people use them with increasing frequency, they normalize, lose their shock value, fade away, and ultimately force society to invent entirely new bad words. Similarly, on The Joe Rogan Experience episode #1363 featuring guest Dakota Meyer, released on October 8, 2019, host Joe Rogan brought up Steven Pinker and his body of work. Rogan discussed how Pinker frequently argues that the world is steadily improving over time, an optimistic perspective that often draws heavy criticism. Rogan observed that many critics dislike the very idea that conditions are improving, choosing instead to dwell on negative aspects of society, magnify those problems, and emphasize pessimistic worldviews. Both podcasts illustrate how Pinker's linguistic and sociological theories challenge conventional thinking and provoke widespread cultural debate.
Every mention
Joe Rogan and I think this is a I mean Steven Pinker talks about this all the time in his books but and it's criticiz… 1
“and I think this is a I mean Steven Pinker talks about this all the time in his books but and it's criticized for it because a lot of people don't like the idea that things are getting better and they want to dwell on the negative aspects and they want to they want to magnify those and make it”
Mentioned on the show without a named speaker1
“Question: you've got this kind of euphemism treadmill that Stephen Pinker talks about where it starts off as a bad word, but then people use it more and more, and then you get used to it, and then it falls away, and then you need to come up with another bad word.”
Also mentioned in the same episodes
Other mentions (2: passing, ad reads, own books)
“I came to it from psychology in particular the psychology of language in a book that I wrote 15 years ago the stuff of thought language is a window into human nature”
“So here's the the what I what I proposed in a previous book, The Stuff of Thought, Language is a window into human nature.”