I live tweeted this event. See the resulting Storify below. I'm still playing with the best way to deliver a "Storify" via blog post. Let me know what you think of the "slideshow" format. Funny, you can hear iPhones vibrating with tweets during the recording :) Glad to know some of those were me!
[View the story "Steven Pinker on Point of Inquiry" on Storify ]Steven Pinker on Point of Inquiry Steven Pinker was interviewed for a live recording of the Point of Inquiry podcast on Sunday February 17th, 2013. What follows is a summary of the tweets from the event. Storified by Kristopher Hite · Sun, Feb 17 2013 10:10:30
Tweet me questions in10 minutes at the AAAS Meeting #poilive #aaasmtgSteven Pinker
Anyone have a link to live stream of audio/video from @sapinker #POILive interview at #AAASmtg ?Kristopher Hite
There isn't one, sadly RT @thorsonofodin: Anyone have a link to live stream of audio/video from @sapinker #POILive interview at #AAASmtg ?Rebecca the Undead
Frågor till Pinker här #poiliveMistra
How to leverage open innovation & open science? RT @sapinker Tweet me questions in10 minutes at the AAAS Meeting #poilive #aaasmtgBoris Beric
Point of Inquiry getting started on interview with @sapinker on gun violence. #poilivePeter Yang
#POILive: Why write about violence? It's part of human nature, like revenge. If tendencies there, then should we assume violence is assumedAdam Scott Bristol
#POILive: No, we should be fatalistic. Rates of violence change over time. From middle ages to today, 35 fold decline.Adam Scott Bristol
#POILive: But a real challenge to psychologists: why so much violence in past and how did it manage to come down?Adam Scott Bristol
Do you think government will ever abandon punitive justice system to focus solely on prevention and rehabilitation? @sapinker #POILiveKristopher Hite
What's special about the U.S.? Why does it have such a high (though declining) rate of violence compared to Canada etc.? #POILive #AAASmtgGenna Buck
#POILive: Decreases in violence: Government and rule of law has a big impact. Your behavior is changed, as is your enemy's.Adam Scott Bristol
Steven Pinker seems to suggest that penal codes have a herd effect? A vaccination against violence? #POILive #AAASmtgDarcy J Gentleman
@genna_mb "freedom" that's what's special about US. This is Amarika! #POILiveKristopher Hite
#POILive: If you live in a society with rule of law, it can impact your emotions. Walk away vs engage.Adam Scott Bristol
RT @sapinker: Tweet me questions in10 minutes at the AAAS Meeting #poilive #aaasmtgKnowledge Alliance
thought is not language and we think also in images, do we also think in our sensory system? is this information storable? #poilive #aaasmtgMedusa Canibal
#POILive: trade and commerce, more open debate & discussion (ie, media and internet), empowerment of women - contributors to lower violenceAdam Scott Bristol
@sapinker Why do more rights for women mean less aggression in society? #POILive #AAASmtgKatherine Scott
#POILive: over the long run, both aggressors and victims, would benefit from renoucning violence - game theory perspective. How to do this?Adam Scott Bristol
#poilive #aaasmtg Is Fear capable of reducing violence? What about the hypothesis of a "Big Brother"- society? Panopticon by Bentham...Alice.
#poilive with @sapinker ! @pointofinquiry http://pic.twitter.com/FhEQ3GGTAmber Williams
#POILive: Q:Why does USA seem more violent? A:Our rate of homicide is 2-5X higher vs. other western democracies. 33/50 states death penalty.Adam Scott Bristol
Question. How much does the smart-phone explosion help curtail violence? Studies? @sapinker the Argus Panoptes rises :) #POILiveKristopher Hite
RT @thorsonofodin: RT @AdamSBristol: empowerment of women - contributors to lower violence #POILiveKatherine Scott
Maybe large scale violence has diminished but is it seeping into small scale? Road rage, kids with guns, personal violence. #POILiveLaura Poppick
Are there exceptions to the decline in violence (S. Africa?) & do those cases help to explain the decrease? #POILive http://pic.twitter.com/roNqm8E2Erin O'Brien
The American south and west lived in a state of anarchy until recently. 1890s marked closing of frontier —Steven Pinker at #POIlive #aaasmtgMark Zastrow
#POILive: Re: guns, the # of households w/ gun have gone down ,but # guns increased. Bigger arsenals among fewer peopleAdam Scott Bristol
#POILive: The US / EU difference is not just availability of guns issue. Controlling for all gun murders, we're still more violent.Adam Scott Bristol
#POILive: Re: rampage shooters, it's terrible but still small % of overall murders.Adam Scott Bristol
What roll does media reporting ofviolence play in our perception of violence rates? #POILiveErin O'Brien
If we colonize the moon or Mars do you think frontier-style violence will proliferate there? @sapinker #POILiveKristopher Hite
The psychology of violence is more important than the weaponry #POILiveKatherine Scott
@pointofinquiry ...understand, and ultimately change our collective need for such ridiculous quantities of guns? #poiliveTim Armstrong
#POILive: Rampage shootings and terrorism generate a lot of attention, but still small % (thankfully). Hard to revert attention to them.Adam Scott Bristol
Media coverage of violence guarantees fame for killers, makes it harder to combat violence, says @sapinker #POIlive #AAASmtgDan Falk
RT @danfalk: Media coverage of violence guarantees fame for killers, makes it harder to combat violence, says @sapinker #POIlive #AAASmtgBea Vianna
There is one sure way for someone to get the world's attention: "Kill a lot of people, and we put them on page 1."—Steven Pinker #POILiveMark Zastrow
My question just got asked on #POILive !!! Thank you @chriscmooneyKatherine Scott
#POILive: When it comes to "stupid macho violence over honor", looks like that's more of a guy thing.Adam Scott Bristol
Violence is largely a "guy thing"; women's rights leads to less killing, argues @sapinker #POIlive #AAASmtgDan Falk
Violence is largely a "guy thing"; women's rights leads to less killing, argues @sapinker #POIlive #AAASmtgDan Falk
Pointless competitive distance urination = male aggression. #aaasmeetings #POILive @poncie13sonysalz
#POILive FYI, great Qs thus far. Keep em coming! Relevant to the topic get top priority tho others may get in at end if time #AAASmtgRebecca the Undead
#POILive: Malcolm Potts has found first place women exercise autonomy is in reproductive rights, those societies decrease "youth bulges"Adam Scott Bristol
RT @danfalk: Violence is largely a "guy thing"; women's rights leads to less killing, argues @sapinker #POIlive #AAASmtgBea Vianna
RT @sonysalz: Pointless competitive distance urination = male aggression. #aaasmeetings #POILive @poncie13Cassie Martin
#POILive: "Youth bulges" can lead to increases in unemployment, conflict, etc.Adam Scott Bristol
Vital for women to have control over their reproductive rights; will pay off in reduced violence, says @sapinker #POIlive #AAASmtgDan Falk
Do you think outlets for letting off steam (like HS football) are good or bad for violence in America? @sapinker #POILiveKristopher Hite
Question: What does @sapinker think about Jared Diamond's perpetual warfare characterization of tribal societies? #POIlive #AAASmtgJamie Vernon
@thorsonofodin, still talking violence! Are there exceptions to the decline? (yes) Warlords, developing nations, etc #POILiveRebecca the Undead
#POILive: Anarchy results in high rates of violence. Saw this in Iraq. Similar, when poor colonial g'ments left, increase in violence.Adam Scott Bristol
In general, anarchy leads to higher rates of violence. Role of gov. Pinker #aaasmtg #poiliveKate Stoll
#POILive: A psych dynamic that control violence is self-control vs. lashing out. '60s culture shift towards the latter. Also, changes in lawAdam Scott Bristol
@Sapinker is there data available about secularization of societies and violence rate? Always think of Sweden. Still white sup. thr #POILiveKristopher Hite
#POILive: Common sense gun controls, e.g., better background checks. But need more than gun control to get US to be like Denmark.Adam Scott Bristol
#POIlive: I'm in favor of gun control measures, but they won't turn the US into Denmark. Reasons go deeper. —@sapinker #aaasmtgMark Zastrow
#POILive: Tribal societies at war perpetually? Diamond is right, as does Chagnon. They have the numbers on their side.Adam Scott Bristol
Pinker says he agrees w Jared Diamond that tribal societies are (almost) in a state of "perpetual warfare." #POIlive #AAASmtg #scienceDan Falk
#POILive: Other drivers of reduced violence: growing connectedness among people, globalization. Growing of "circle of sympathy." a la SingerAdam Scott Bristol
RT @MarkZastrow: #POIlive: I'm in favor of gun control measures, but they won't turn the US into Denmark. Reasons go deeper. —@sapinker #aaasmtgRobinsPost Retweets
Awesome! Steven Pinker: Social media may have a pacification effect, reducing violence by humanizing distant citizens. #POIlive #aaasmtgJamie Vernon
#POILive: Can social media technologies be pacifist techs? A: I suspect so. Happened in the late 1700's. Rise of literacy & cheap printing.Adam Scott Bristol
#poilive @sapinker 's next book will be a writing manual based on psychology!Katherine Scott
Why did the world become less cruel in 18thC? Because of rising literacy & freedom of the press, argues @sapinker #POIlive #AAASmtgDan Falk
#POILive: Social media and Arab Spring etc. Too early to judge results but in 20yrs, might attribute a causal role to Twitter, etc.Adam Scott Bristol
@AdamSBristol Cheap printing the late 1700's a la ~Thomas Paine! My main man :) #POILiveKristopher Hite
The late 18th c. saw an uptick in personal freedom and civil rights bec increased printing & communication, says @SAPinker #poilive #AAASmtgNaomi Starobin
Love this 18th century connectedness part! Makes me proud of my blog - http://www.tompainesghost.com #POILiveKristopher Hite
#POIlive bringing back fond memories of #WSF10 I got to meet @sapinker Recall him asking how to spell my last name. http://pic.twitter.com/Olu64ylMKristopher Hite
“@thorsonofodin: RT @sonysalz: but careful not to conflate idea that people that own guns are inherently more violent. #POILive” good pointIndre Viskontas
RT @danfalk: Vital for women to have control over their reproductive rights; will pay off in reduced violence, says @sapinker #POIlive #AAASmtgfinites
