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Steven Pinker on Doomerism ...

Adam Esrig

Hi all, I recently ran into this interview on the Honestly Podcast with Steven Pinker. 

The epidode reminded me of the new OER Climate Course. The course pushes back on climate doomerism and promotes the idea that there is real space and cause for (impatient) optimism when it comes to our ability to meet the challenge of climate. 

In this podcast Steven Pinker talks about the same but pushes back on all types of Doomerism - from AI, to Peace and War. I realize there may be some critiques of his work out there (I'm not terribly familiar) but I thought this was a good listen and worth discussion. If you get a chance to listen, I'd be curious to hear your thoughts!       

  • Great podcast.  One particularly interesting facet was about people who think AI is going to "take humans out" and how this argument is separate from taking our jobs away, versus taking out humanity entirely.  I've always known it's a case of how people think in general- the glass is either half full or not.  When "doomers" argue that AI is going to take out humanity, they are thinking it will be how- for instances Euro Americans took out Native Peoples.  Of course what Euro Americans did to Indians in the past was horrific, but Native people and their cultures are not wiped out entirely.  So will AI really wipe out humanity?  No.  Can it hurt us?  Only if used by people bent on destruction.  Every technology we as humans have ever invented has had it's degree of disaster attached.  We create fire, so we can cook food- but we can burn our houses down.  We create flying machines so we can travel the world, but we bomb each other.  AI can have some ill effects (think drone swarms to attack people or robots from Terminator) but of course AI could lead to what Pinker mentions- universal income, people not having to do boring or dangerous work.  AI is going to really do amazing things when it comes to health, and we're all going to benefit from the solutions.  As he said, "Who will be moronic enough to really make AI do bad things?"  We will destroy ourselves, not AI destroying us.  And could we really destroy ourselves completely?  Naw.  The pessimistic people will keep being pessimistic.  They can't help but see the bad, and think everything is going to hell in a handbasket.  That's why they freak out with things that are new, and fall for the rhetoric of politicians who rail against everything that is new or different.   

  • in reply to Bryan Dibble

    This was shared with me today.  It seems to fit here.  

  • in reply to Eric Schulz

    It's not opening for me,  .

    Can you give me a two-sentence introduction and a title?

  •  I didn't know Steven Pinker had a podcast! I read The Better Angels of Our Nature so long ago I kinda relegated him to the Jared Diamond, Charles C. Mann, Stephen Ambrose bucket of historians that are themselves kind of historical.

    I always try to impart my best second rate Pinker when we get past WWII and the students are a little bummed out by all the atrocities.

    In the summer I quickly exhaust my new podcast feed by mid-morning, so you've spared me relistening to  old "The Rest Is History" episodes. Thanks!

  • in reply to Will Nash

    Okay, so he was on a podcast. Still neat, and there are a few other names in the feed that have piqued my interest.

    Also, I didn't realize that Pinker was a psychologist by trade. Just like with Diamond, I seem to be drawn to the outside perspectives, even if they don't always get the minutiae correct.

  • in reply to Eric Schulz

    Ha! Very funny - love the ending. 

  • in reply to Will Nash

    Very happy to see you enjoyed  . Indeed very insightful - I should also add Better Angels to my summer reading list. 

  • in reply to Eric Schulz

    Ok, that little vid is great.  I'm certainly going to show my students.  That snide little smile from AI is just enough for the "Doomerism" kids to freak out.