Origins & Early Life

Steven Arthur Pinker (born September 18, 1954) is a Canadian cognitive psychologist, psycholinguist, popular science author, and public intellectual. He is an advocate of evolutionary psychology and the computational theory of mind. Pinker is the Johnstone Family professor of psychology at Harvard University. Pinker specializes in visual cognition and developmental linguistics, as well as a number of experimental topics.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

He has written two technical books that propose a general theory of language acquisition. In particular, his work with Alan Prince posits that children use default rules sometimes in error but are obliged to learn irregular forms one by one. Pinker is the author of nine books for general audiences. The Language Instinct (1994), How the Mind Works (1997), Words and Rules (2000), The Blank Slate (2002), and The Stuff of Thought (2007) posit that language is an innate behavior shaped by natural selection and adapted to our communication needs. The Sense of Style (2014) is a general language-oriented style guide.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

The Better Angels of Our Nature (2010) posits that violence in human societies has generally declined over time, and identifies six major trends and five historical...

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

• Aarathi — Contemporary (Born in 1954) (1954): Veteran Indian actress celebrated for her roles in Kannada cinema during the 1970s and 1980s.
• Alan Turing — Contemporary (Died in 1954) (1954): Father of theoretical computer science, known for the Turing machine and codebreaking.
• André Derain — Contemporary (Died in 1954) (1954): Pioneering French painter, co-founder of Fauvism, known for vibrant colorism and later classicism.
• Adrien-Marie Legendre — Shared historical date (09-18 · Born) (1752): Pioneering French mathematician known for Legendre polynomials and least squares method.
• Agnes de Mille — Shared historical date (09-18 · Born) (1905): Pioneering American choreographer known for blending ballet with modern dance.
• Ang Lee — Historical peer (Born in 1954) (1954): Acclaimed Taiwanese filmmaker known for exploring deep, repressed human emotions.
• Angela Merkel — Historical peer (Born in 1954) (1954): German stateswoman who served as Chancellor from 2005 to 2021.
• Ahmed Ali (writer) — Historical peer (Died in 1994) (1994): Pioneering Urdu writer, poet, and diplomat from British India to Pakistan.
• Alexia Putellas — Historical peer (Born in 1994) (1994): One of the greatest female footballers, known for her midfield prowess and success with Barcelona and Spain.
• Aldo Rossi — Historical peer (Died in 1997) (1997): Pioneering Italian architect, key figure in Postmodernism, and Pritzker Prize laureate.
• 1954 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1954
• September 18 (09-18) On This Day — Historical birthdays and events on September 18