7/8/11

Steven Pinker on Coffee vs. Sex

Footnote to a scandal.  Why does it make a difference whether you ask for coffee (with sex in mind) or ask for sex?   Steven Pinker discusses the matter in this truly fantastic video. Don't miss it!



The rest of Pinker's talk is here.

Thanks, [squiggly unpronounceable name].

5 comments:

ɠʗɿʪɳʜʁɼɖʁʖɸʭɟɨɐʈɔʑʓ said...

the cartoonist is simply great. Did you notice the dog at 2:00? :-)

What about the pencil at 6:30 that has become, hmmm, rather flaccid?

Yanquetino said...

This animated lecture was great! Gotta love Pinker.

The example of what one "knows" the other "knows one knows" reminded me of a scene in one of my favorite movies of all time, The Lion in Winter. It is what Geoffry says to Eleanor at about 00:04:56 in this clip:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whaJc9Ue3Bs

"We're a knowledgeable family"!

Mercutio said...

Really fascinating! Thanks for posting it.

Unknown said...

While I wouldn't voluntarily go back to a stranger's room under any circumstances, here are a few things to consider:

1. I've never heard this expression until Elevatorgate, so if a man said it to me prior, I would merely be confused;

2. While there's no reason to think that someone would have etchings in their hotel room during an atheist conference, all hotel rooms have coffee;

3. The reason someone would use the "etchings" phrase as a proposition is because there are no etchings there, so it must mean something else;

4. In the Elevatorgate scenario, asking someone back to one's room is one of the only way's to speak in private;

5. Verbal communication is often accompanied by visual cues, which help convey meaning;

6. As Pinker says, we don't know what someone else knows.

Jean Kazez said...

Good point about the etchings!