Photo: Christopher Michel / CC BY-SA 4.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Pinker is one of those rare academics who can make rigorous science feel like a great conversation. What I admire most is not just the breadth, from language acquisition to the long arc of declining violence, but his stubborn optimism in an age that rewards doom. He marshals data to argue that reason and progress are real, and even when I want to push back on his conclusions, he forces me to think harder. That, to me, is the mark of a genuine public intellectual: not someone who tells you what to think, but someone who hands you better tools for thinking. I find his work consistently bracing.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Steven Pinker
- Name (Japanese)
- スティーヴン・ピンカー
- Reading
- すてぃーゔん・ぴんかー
- Born
- September 18, 1954 (age 71)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Virgo / Horse
- Origin
- Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- psychologist / linguist / anthropologist / philosopher / university teacher
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Wagar High School
- University
- Dawson College
Awards & achievements
- 1984 APA Distinguished Scientific Award for an Early Career Contribution to Psychology
- 1986 Boyd McCandless Award
- 1993 Troland Research Awards
- 2004 Emperor Has No Clothes Award
- 2005 Walter P. Kistler Book Award
- 2006 Humanist of the Year
- 2013 Richard Dawkins Award
- 2016 William James Fellow Award
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
5. Works & records
| Category | Title | Role | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notable work | The Language Instinct | — | |
| Notable work | How the Mind Works | — | |
| Notable work | The Blank Slate | — | |
| Notable work | The Better Angels of Our Nature | — | |
| Notable work | Enlightenment Now | — | |
| Notable work | Words and Rules | — |
6. Links
Frequently asked questions
When was Steven Pinker born?
Born September 18, 1954 (age 71).
Where is Steven Pinker from?
Steven Pinker is from Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
What does Steven Pinker do?
Steven Pinker works as psychologist, linguist, anthropologist, philosopher, university teacher.
What is Steven Pinker known for?
Notable works include The Language Instinct, How the Mind Works, The Blank Slate.
Psychologist — see all → · Linguist — see all → · More people from Canada →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-17
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.