[Buddha-l] S. Pinker (linguist, cognitive psychologist)

[jkirk]

>> I happened to notice his statement of support
>> for their president in the recent squabble and subsequent
>> (non-binding) faculty vote of no-confidence.
>
> That would be consistent with his stance in <cite>The Blank
> Slate,<\cite> in which he says that saying that ANYTHING may be
> genetically inherited rather than culturally conditioned will bring on
> the academic Thought Police. He cites ample evidence that numerous
> people across the country have almost been drummed out of the corps for
> even suggesting as one of several hypotheses that certain abilities (or
> lacks thereof) might have genetics as a factor. It has become, he
> claims, a taboo hypothesis.
> Richard Hayes
> ***
> "If you want the truth, rather than merely something to say,
> you will have a good deal less to say." -- Thomas Nagel
=============
Since some of us are on this topic, I think it would be relevant if people 
read both
a pro-Summers explication of what he "actually said" type argument, and a 
critical
view on what he "actually said," both available at Slate (ironically an 
appropriately named venue for this debate):
Pro...... http://slate.msn.com/id/2113742/
Con... http://slate.msn.com/id/2112799/

Joanna