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{{infoboxsort
|title=The Stuff of Thought: Language as a Window into Human Nature
|sort=Stuff of Thought
|author=Steven Pinker
|reviewer=Magda Healey
|genre=Politics and Society
|summary=Energetic, passionate, intelligent and lively, Pinker is erudite but accessible, lucid and precise but never stifled, conversational and occasionally colloquial but never crude. Fittingly, this language scholar is also an excellent writer and Pinker carries this double mantle with aplomb occasionally bordering on chutzpah and plenty of style. Highly recommended.
|rating=5
|buy=Yes
|borrow=Yes
|format=Paperback
|pages=512
|publisher=Penguin Books Ltd
|date=June 2008
|isbn=978-0141015477
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0141015470</amazonuk>
|amazonus=<amazonus>0670063274</amazonus>
}}
Allen Lane have a rather diverse and truly impressive line-up this autumn,
including the topical [[The Age of Turbulence: Adventures in a New World|Alan Greenspan]] and a rather groundbreaking [[Naomi Klein]]. However, it's the latest offering from Steven Pinker that's likely to stand the test of time - if a label of an "instant classic" was ever justifiably applied, it should be applied to ''The Stuff of Thought''.
A culmination of more than a decade of Pinker's popular science writing
and the crowning glory of both his language trilogy, encompassing [[The Language Instinct]] and [[Words and Rules]] and his mind & human
nature trilogy with [[How the Mind Works]] and [[The Blank Slate]],
''The Stuff of Thought'' is an exceptional book and anybody - and I mean
anybody - interested in language or human mind should read it, while all
psychology, linguistics and sociology students should buy a copy.
''The Stuff of Thought'' is subtitled ''Language as a Window into
Human Nature'' and deals with meaning and some usage conventions, or -
to apply linguistic terms - with semantics and pragmatics of the
language. Those who get bored by or lost in the more intricate details of
grammar, syntax and word construction but feel ready to go beyond
surprised wondering ''why do we say that?'' would do well to read this
book, but it goes well beyond the linguistic and truly fulfils its title
promise of providing a window into how the mind works, how human beings
perceive, classify and order the world, what they value and how they
interact with each other. Of course, not every aspect of mental
functioning is exhibited in the language, but we are a garrulous species
and a lot can be read about us from the way we use words.
Some of the ideas explored in ''The Stuff of Thought'' have been
touched on in the previous books by Steven Pinker, but a surprisingly
large part of it feels new. Pinker starts big, by putting a price on the semantics of the toppling WTC towers ($3.5bn, roughly) and then presents a dazzling exposition of various ways the meanings and usage of words illuminates
the mechanics of thought.
The first part of the book is devoted to basic units of thinking as
revealed by language, and with the specifically human concepts (and
obsessions) of time, space and causality (as well as the consequences of
these concepts for our personal and social lives). We all probably know
that the ideas of space , time, forces and causality that humans
instinctively employ are not compatible with modern physics post-Einstein
and quantum theory. Pinker shows that they are also incompatible with
classic Euclidean and Newtonian takes on the physical word.
Theories concerning the degree to which meanings are relative or absolute,
innate or learned and whether it's the underlying mind that shapes the
language or the language that shapes the mind. A lot of space is devoted
to the arguments against the (recently resurrected) neo-Whorfian language
relativism, which claims that structures of our native language mould our
thoughts to a very high degree and make if very hard to even think thoughts
that are contrary to the patterns of our language. Pinker shows that,
although the relativistic claims have some reality and the language
patterns guide and make certain ways of thinking more likely, they are
fairly easy to transgress if circumstances demand. As an example, it's
fairly obvious to anybody that believes in the species unity of humanity
that the "primitive" societies don't have sophisticated number language
and counting systems because they are not needed in the environments their
members operate; rather than those societies having failed to develop
sophisticated civilisations because their languages lack such number
systems.
Pinker analyses the popular concept of "metaphors we live by" and shows
what can be extracted from the idea that humans, essentially, use
metaphors taken from the behaviours of physical objects to talk (and
think) about pretty much everything else; as well as quoting several
convincing results showing that majority of the conventional metaphors (of
the "love is the journey" or "argument is war" type) are just that,
conventional, and that the original meaning of the underlying literal
expressions is lost even to our automatic processing.
The chapter on nouns, or more specifically, names of things is truly
fascinating and the explorations there afforded a truly unique view of
the almost-mystical process of naming things and people. ''...suppose
scientists made an amazing discovery: cats are really daleks, the mutated
descendants of the Kaled people (...), a ruthless race bent on universal
conquest and domination, who travel around in mechanical casings cleverly
disguised as animals. Would we say that there is no such a thing as a cat,
since the definition of "cat " specifies a furry animal? Or would we say
that contrary to our previous beliefs, cats aren't animals?''
Among the most entertaining sections is an extensive chapter on swearwords
and obscenity (which, among other things, clearly shows how two concepts
of what sex is like are reflected in the grammar and usage; explores the
neuro physiology of swearing, shows compelling reasons for the lack of a
polite but grammatically identical verb in the ''John verbed Mary''
phrase and the lack of a polite but everyday and universally applicable term
for faeces.
And finally, the extensive exploration of polite conventions for
expressing requests, threats and sexual come-ons reveal fascinating stuff
about human social hierarchies and rules of sharing and exchange.
The only thing that I found occasionally missing was more material from
other European languages and some filtering of the English examples to
remove the most obviously English-specific usages. Pinker does
meticulously refer to "English speakers" wherever appropriate, and his
general claim that phenomena he covers are pretty universal to a greater
or lesser degree in all languages stands well; but there were several
times that I could immediately come up with a counterexample to his from
my own language, and at least some of them could have been adjusted.
The writing is, as usual, brilliant. Energetic, passionate, intelligent
and lively, Pinker is erudite but accessible, lucid and precise but never
stifled, conversational and occasionally colloquial but never crude.
Fittingly, this language scholar is also an excellent writer and Pinker
carries this double mantle with aplomb occasionally bordering on chutzpah
and plenty of style.
Apart from providing a fascinating, if not to say exhilarating exposition
of its main ideas, in ''The Stuff of Thought'' shows not only what
the mind-scientists discover but also how they do it; not just the content
of science but also its methods. Pinker describes countless experiments
and studies, with just a right amount of information to make the inclusion
meaningful but succinctly enough not to bore. That inclusion of the
method, showing how the science is done is also why ''The Stuff of
Thought'' should be required reading for all the students of the human
sciences.
Wholeheartedly recommended, and full 5 stars, both from me personally and
from the Bookbag.
Thanks to Alen Lane for sending this trully enjoyable & informative volume
to the BookBag.
David Crystal's [[How Language Works: How Babies Babble, Words Change Meaning and Languages Live or Die]] provides a more
conventional but informative and useful introductory tour of language in
all its variety.
{{toptentext|list=Top Ten Books About Language}}
{{amazontext|amazon=0141015470}}
'''Reviews of other books by Steven Pinker'''
[[The Language Instinct: The New Science of Language and Mind]]
{{commenthead}}
|title=The Stuff of Thought: Language as a Window into Human Nature
|sort=Stuff of Thought
|author=Steven Pinker
|reviewer=Magda Healey
|genre=Politics and Society
|summary=Energetic, passionate, intelligent and lively, Pinker is erudite but accessible, lucid and precise but never stifled, conversational and occasionally colloquial but never crude. Fittingly, this language scholar is also an excellent writer and Pinker carries this double mantle with aplomb occasionally bordering on chutzpah and plenty of style. Highly recommended.
|rating=5
|buy=Yes
|borrow=Yes
|format=Paperback
|pages=512
|publisher=Penguin Books Ltd
|date=June 2008
|isbn=978-0141015477
|amazonuk=<amazonuk>0141015470</amazonuk>
|amazonus=<amazonus>0670063274</amazonus>
}}
Allen Lane have a rather diverse and truly impressive line-up this autumn,
including the topical [[The Age of Turbulence: Adventures in a New World|Alan Greenspan]] and a rather groundbreaking [[Naomi Klein]]. However, it's the latest offering from Steven Pinker that's likely to stand the test of time - if a label of an "instant classic" was ever justifiably applied, it should be applied to ''The Stuff of Thought''.
A culmination of more than a decade of Pinker's popular science writing
and the crowning glory of both his language trilogy, encompassing [[The Language Instinct]] and [[Words and Rules]] and his mind & human
nature trilogy with [[How the Mind Works]] and [[The Blank Slate]],
''The Stuff of Thought'' is an exceptional book and anybody - and I mean
anybody - interested in language or human mind should read it, while all
psychology, linguistics and sociology students should buy a copy.
''The Stuff of Thought'' is subtitled ''Language as a Window into
Human Nature'' and deals with meaning and some usage conventions, or -
to apply linguistic terms - with semantics and pragmatics of the
language. Those who get bored by or lost in the more intricate details of
grammar, syntax and word construction but feel ready to go beyond
surprised wondering ''why do we say that?'' would do well to read this
book, but it goes well beyond the linguistic and truly fulfils its title
promise of providing a window into how the mind works, how human beings
perceive, classify and order the world, what they value and how they
interact with each other. Of course, not every aspect of mental
functioning is exhibited in the language, but we are a garrulous species
and a lot can be read about us from the way we use words.
Some of the ideas explored in ''The Stuff of Thought'' have been
touched on in the previous books by Steven Pinker, but a surprisingly
large part of it feels new. Pinker starts big, by putting a price on the semantics of the toppling WTC towers ($3.5bn, roughly) and then presents a dazzling exposition of various ways the meanings and usage of words illuminates
the mechanics of thought.
The first part of the book is devoted to basic units of thinking as
revealed by language, and with the specifically human concepts (and
obsessions) of time, space and causality (as well as the consequences of
these concepts for our personal and social lives). We all probably know
that the ideas of space , time, forces and causality that humans
instinctively employ are not compatible with modern physics post-Einstein
and quantum theory. Pinker shows that they are also incompatible with
classic Euclidean and Newtonian takes on the physical word.
Theories concerning the degree to which meanings are relative or absolute,
innate or learned and whether it's the underlying mind that shapes the
language or the language that shapes the mind. A lot of space is devoted
to the arguments against the (recently resurrected) neo-Whorfian language
relativism, which claims that structures of our native language mould our
thoughts to a very high degree and make if very hard to even think thoughts
that are contrary to the patterns of our language. Pinker shows that,
although the relativistic claims have some reality and the language
patterns guide and make certain ways of thinking more likely, they are
fairly easy to transgress if circumstances demand. As an example, it's
fairly obvious to anybody that believes in the species unity of humanity
that the "primitive" societies don't have sophisticated number language
and counting systems because they are not needed in the environments their
members operate; rather than those societies having failed to develop
sophisticated civilisations because their languages lack such number
systems.
Pinker analyses the popular concept of "metaphors we live by" and shows
what can be extracted from the idea that humans, essentially, use
metaphors taken from the behaviours of physical objects to talk (and
think) about pretty much everything else; as well as quoting several
convincing results showing that majority of the conventional metaphors (of
the "love is the journey" or "argument is war" type) are just that,
conventional, and that the original meaning of the underlying literal
expressions is lost even to our automatic processing.
The chapter on nouns, or more specifically, names of things is truly
fascinating and the explorations there afforded a truly unique view of
the almost-mystical process of naming things and people. ''...suppose
scientists made an amazing discovery: cats are really daleks, the mutated
descendants of the Kaled people (...), a ruthless race bent on universal
conquest and domination, who travel around in mechanical casings cleverly
disguised as animals. Would we say that there is no such a thing as a cat,
since the definition of "cat " specifies a furry animal? Or would we say
that contrary to our previous beliefs, cats aren't animals?''
Among the most entertaining sections is an extensive chapter on swearwords
and obscenity (which, among other things, clearly shows how two concepts
of what sex is like are reflected in the grammar and usage; explores the
neuro physiology of swearing, shows compelling reasons for the lack of a
polite but grammatically identical verb in the ''John verbed Mary''
phrase and the lack of a polite but everyday and universally applicable term
for faeces.
And finally, the extensive exploration of polite conventions for
expressing requests, threats and sexual come-ons reveal fascinating stuff
about human social hierarchies and rules of sharing and exchange.
The only thing that I found occasionally missing was more material from
other European languages and some filtering of the English examples to
remove the most obviously English-specific usages. Pinker does
meticulously refer to "English speakers" wherever appropriate, and his
general claim that phenomena he covers are pretty universal to a greater
or lesser degree in all languages stands well; but there were several
times that I could immediately come up with a counterexample to his from
my own language, and at least some of them could have been adjusted.
The writing is, as usual, brilliant. Energetic, passionate, intelligent
and lively, Pinker is erudite but accessible, lucid and precise but never
stifled, conversational and occasionally colloquial but never crude.
Fittingly, this language scholar is also an excellent writer and Pinker
carries this double mantle with aplomb occasionally bordering on chutzpah
and plenty of style.
Apart from providing a fascinating, if not to say exhilarating exposition
of its main ideas, in ''The Stuff of Thought'' shows not only what
the mind-scientists discover but also how they do it; not just the content
of science but also its methods. Pinker describes countless experiments
and studies, with just a right amount of information to make the inclusion
meaningful but succinctly enough not to bore. That inclusion of the
method, showing how the science is done is also why ''The Stuff of
Thought'' should be required reading for all the students of the human
sciences.
Wholeheartedly recommended, and full 5 stars, both from me personally and
from the Bookbag.
Thanks to Alen Lane for sending this trully enjoyable & informative volume
to the BookBag.
David Crystal's [[How Language Works: How Babies Babble, Words Change Meaning and Languages Live or Die]] provides a more
conventional but informative and useful introductory tour of language in
all its variety.
{{toptentext|list=Top Ten Books About Language}}
{{amazontext|amazon=0141015470}}
'''Reviews of other books by Steven Pinker'''
[[The Language Instinct: The New Science of Language and Mind]]
{{commenthead}}
