The Computational Theory Of Mind By Steven Pinker

The Computational Theory Of Mind By Steven Pinker
The computational theory of mind explains that our brains are made of information processors.
Every part of brain–neuron's axon and molecules, all these nerve cell's propose is to be an
information carrier. The neurons are like sophisticated chips and with billion of neurons, you ended
up with one powerful computational device, which is brain. Brain is one hunk of matter that is
intelligent things that allows human beings to have cognitive equipment to processes of human
perception, problem solving, and decision making. The "demons" is a system that contains a
memory and reflexes. These demons are triggered by information and connected to sense. The mind
is a product of natural selection and in that sense, the mind is our ancestor's past. Our ancestor's
beliefs and desires are information, as part of our brain. The computational theory of mind allows us
to keep this information (beliefs and desires) in our explanations of behavior. By doing this, the
meaning ended up to cause and be cause. Steven Pinker believed that computational theory of mind
came about through natural selection in order for our ancestors to solve and problems with the new
conditions such as figuring out of how to defeat the plants' and animals' defenses before they
counteract. The software that we inherited from our ancestor has ability of natural computation due
to the goals and desires that are preprogrammed. Our minds are calculating the costs and benefits of
decisions with our ancestor's past
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Steven Spielberg's Jaws and Ridley Scott's Gladiator Essay
Steven Spielberg's Jaws and Ridley Scott's Gladiator The two films being examined are the thriller
Jaws, directed by Steven Spielberg, and the action film Gladiator directed by Ridley Scott. Both
directors create epic films; the films are momentous and are designed to manipulate the emotions. A
thriller is intended to appeal to basic human instinct to the need of feeling fear and survival. Action
movies are designed to appeal to our sense of danger: pace and experience is something we want but
don't have in our everyday lives to this extent. Both films are examples of media, which manage to
induce you into a certain way of thinking: Jaws into being scared and Gladiator into sympathising
and rooting ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
When the Barbarians enter the scene they all appear uncivilised and disorganizes in comparison: the
fact they behead the messenger reinforces this. When the battle begins, the camera flicks around at a
frenetic pace, showing the chaos of battle. As Maximus enters on a horse, the light is streaming
through the trees making him appear a hero, a ray of hope in the dark. As he begins mercilessly
killing Germanians the director manipulates the audience into condoning the slaughter, and what is
more, willing him to kill further lending credibility to his role. In Jaws, the shot opens on the beach
with the campfire at night. It's a familiar setting; the teenagers are all stereotypically middle class
'college kids', very warm and relaxed. The director designed the scene to provoke a recognizable
combination to the audience, to convey how normal and plausible it is. When the female and male
leave the group the group, the colours change; the scene becomes dark and the characters become
silhouetted against the moonlight. The silence is emphasised by the sound of the waves and the bell.
The atmosphere is eerie and indefinite: the sea is calm. The female actress is silhouetted as she
swims. Her friend has passed out at this point, obviously beyond giving any help, which increases
the sense of her isolation and vulnerability. As the camera closes in for a close up

Steven Pinker The Moral Instinct
In "The Moral Instinct" Steven Pinker claims that people can think that something is wrong, but
cannot prove that it is amoral. Pinker explains that this is because morality varies from person to
person. Another point in the essay is made about whether the greater good is equal to helping the
greater number of people in a situation. In some of his examples the moral dilemma involves killing
one person to save five other people's lives. Both scenarios are very similar, but one involves using a
lever to switch the direction of the trolley, while the other involves throwing a person off of a bridge
to save the other five people. Each scenario involve the same end result; one person dying to save
the other five people, but people are less likely

Movie Analysis of Jaws Essay
Movie Analysis of Jaws
Martin Brody is the new police chief trying to rid Amity Island of a savage shark terrorising the
islanders and tourists alike in the 1976 thriller, Jaws. Jaws was directed by Steven Spielberg and
starred Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw and Richard Dreyfuss. Amity Island relies almost fully on the
income gained by tourists visiting the island in the summer vacation. It is up to Martin Brody to
protect the beach goers by finding the shark and killing it. This brings up issues of fighting fears as
well as fighting the constant battle between humans and nature. It is set around July 4th because this
would be the height of the tourist season for the island and the threat of the shark ... Show more
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However it also shows tension as during the silence the audience do not know if another attack is
going to happen.
The second attack is on a small boy in the sea at a crowded beach on Amity Island. It starts with the
young boy asking his mother if he can go back into the sea. We then see Brody sat on the beach
watching out for sharks. The camera does a long shot of Brody's point of view, which we see a
woman screaming. This makes us think that the girl is being attacked when she is not, this builds up
tension because it hasn't happened yet and we know it will do we just don't no when. Using the wide
angle shot of the shows us how big the sea is and how vulnerable people are in it. It then shows a
boy running back into the water using mid range shot with the boy on the lilo n the background and
the children in the fore ground. This makes us uneasy because there is a lot of splashing which
means if the shark was to be there it would be camouflaged and also the splashing attracts sharks.
Next, there is a close up shot of a small child singing, seeing the small child singing is calming
which lulls us into a false sense of security, making the imminent attack scarier as you do not expect
it. A view from under the water is then given from the shark's point of view showing legs. This gives
us the signal that something

Minority Report: Film vs. Short Story Essay
Minority Report: Film vs. Short Story
Mutant humans, nicknamed precogs, have visions of future crimes. An entire police force is
dedicated to interpreting these visions and catching the future criminals before they commit these
foreseen crimes. Commissioner John A. Anderton was the creator of this institution called Precrime
in New York City and has a strong pride in his work. Everything had seemed to be a success, there
had not been a murder for five years, but it all starts to fall apart when the precogs have a vision of
Anderton committing a murder of a man he has never met before, named Leopold Kaplan. The
commissioner believes he has been set up by a young man, Ed Witwer, who will be taking
Anderton's place when he ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
The precogs are not mutant humans, but are praised as wonderful beings. John Anderton was not the
creator of Precrime, Director Lamar Burgess and Iris Hineman were the "mother and father" of
Precrime. Anderton's pride in Precrime came from a previous experience he had with the kidnapping
of his only child. His wife, Laura (not Lisa), separated from him and lived near a beach away from
Anderton and Precrime, but in Dick's story they are married and she works at Precrime with John.
Danny Witwer (not Ed) is an FBI investigator, not Anderton's replacement, who enters the film to
discover flaws in the Precrime system, specifically human flaws. The precogs vision of Anderton's
future murder depicts him killing a man he does not know, but the man is Leo Crow, not Leopold
Kaplan. Anderton, in the film, still believes he is being set up and goes on a quest, which is drawn
out more than in the short story containing encounters with new characters and full of dramatic
actions. Anderton kidnaps Agatha (not Donna), the female precog who supposedly holds Anderton's
minority report. He discovers, as he does in the short story, that he does not have one, but his
curiosity gets the best of him and he continues to find who he is supposed to kill. Eventually, he
ends up at the place in the foreseen crime and finds pictures of his kidnapped son with a strange
man. Thinking this Leo Crow is responsible for the disappearance of Sean, Anderton decides he is
going to kill him.

Prescriptivism v. Descriptivism
The Language Wars have been waged in the realm of English Literature, Language and Linguistics
for years. Both sides of the argument are staunch believers in their position, but are more than
willing to concede points to the other sides' favour. In Bryan A. Garner's essay, "Making Peace in
the Language Wars", he describes himself as a 'descriptive prescriber' (Garner, Making Peace in the
Language Wars 2008, 270), and offers a truce that fulfils both sides of the argument as the crux of
his essay. While the separate sides of the argument are relatively easy to define, it seems that no one
sticks to them religiously, and the argument is between individuals fighting over individual points.
The two sides are that of the descriptivist and that ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
George Orwell states that, "our civilization is decadent and our language...must inevitably share in
the general collapse" (Orwell 2000, 1), when he argues for prescriptivism (though toned down from
what was taught and accepted in his day). While Garner posits that, "describers, meanwhile, remind
us that linguistic change is a fact of life – and conclude that it's therefore not worth opposing"
(Garner, Making Peace in the Language Wars 2008, 272). When David Foster Wallace discusses
descriptivism, he makes a historical reference to, "Philip Gove's now classic introduction to
Webster's Third [which] outlines this type of Descriptivism's five basic edicts: '1 – Language
changes constantly; 2 – change is normal; 3 – spoken language is the language; 4 – correctness rests
upon usage; 5 – All usage is relative.'" (Wallace 2005, 83). Wallace himself argues against most of
these edicts, proving himself to uphold his snootitude. Bryan A. Garner creates a list similar to that
of Gove's, while addressing the argument that "learning grammar may seem like an exercise in
pedantry," which is a point argued by many descriptivists:
(1) Many if not most people grow up speaking a form of regional or social dialect. If you raise your
comfort level with grammar, you'll have more confidence that your speaking and writing won't
betray you among your more literate peers. (2) Many people who are confident that they know
grammatical

Steven Pinker The Moral Instinct
Kara Dacanay
Ms. Kelli Magargal
English 120
31 March 2016
Is Morality Influenced Or Experienced? Does influence towards children affect their perception of
morality? The upbringing of a child has a strong effect on him or her mainly since the information
parents give to their kids at a very young age stays with them throughout their lives. In the essay
"The Moral Instinct" by Steven Pinker, morality is based both on an individual's own perceptions
and what he or she is taught. Pinker constantly implies how pressure in society changes our idea of
moral versus immoral especially since adults teach young people what is right and what is wrong. In
relation to Pinker's essay, other writings show how children are not only influenced by learned ...
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She talks about how influence creates trouble for children who bases their ideas of morality solely
since they want to belong to a group. Oswalt demonstrates why society tests children to be accepted.
In relation to Pinker, both Oswalt and Pinker consider the pros and cons of child influence. Kids are
not sure of what they think is moral and immoral and society affects them because there can be
negative influences. Adults possess a strong influence in a child's perception of morality and they
should allow children follow their beliefs and try new things. Lastly, there is a connection between
the children's parents who teach and support them when it comes to children who discover morality.
Personal relationships between a child and adults that teach them their principles demonstrate how
morality is more than just inherited traits. In the graphic novel "Persepolis" by Marjane Satrapi,
Marjane has difficulty because an adult tells her that her moral decision is wrong. During her early
years of school, an adult tells Marjane she makes a bad life decision. In relation to Pinker, Satrapi
shows how influence can be negative towards children. The visual aid draws attention to an adult
who tells Marjane what is right and negatively influences her. Satrapi

Steven Pinker Mind Over Mass Media Summary
In his essay, "Mind Over Mass Media", Harvard professor Steven Pinker discusses concerns about
how modern technology might affect brain chemistry and functionality. Pinker points out that these
concerns are not new, similar concerns have been raised at various time of technological change
over the last century and gives evidence that those concerns have thus far been unfounded. He
believes that technology is maintaining and perhaps even aiding our intelligence, rather than
harming it. Pinker does a nice job of pointing out factual evidence and responding to potential
counter–arguments in his piece, quickly and easily rolling from one point to another, never letting
the reader become bored with a topic. He doesn't bog the information down with

Review Of ' The Better Angels Of Our Nature ' By Steven...
INTP 371 – Short Essay
Sally Togher | 15 April 2017 | Question 2
––––––––––
Evaluate and critique the different arguments for the decline in warfare since 1990.
In the last decade, discussion of "the decline of war" has dramatically escalated. This essay
evaluates and critiques three major arguments for the decline in warfare since 1990, examining the
human nature approach of Steven Pinker, the shorter–term factors proposed by John Mueller and the
alternative "New Wars" theory championed by Mary Kaldor. In combination, these approaches
provide a general summary of the major strains of "declinist" literature and demonstrate the
challenges of assessing the changing political violence and armed conflict after the Cold War.
In "The Better ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
John Mueller makes a claim even bolder than a decline in war, arguing that war has ceased, or
nearly ceased, to exist. He argues that the general decline in inter–state war lies in the changing
attitudes towards war. Mueller contends that up until the early 20th century, war was seen in a
positive light, but European attitudes changed "profoundly" after WWI, and that shift of opinion was
"dramatically reinforced" by WWII. Mueller explains the particular fall in civil wars in the 1990s as
a result of improvements in governance and policing in developing countries. Thus these factors in
combination explain the recent decline in all wars. Mueller rejects other alternative arguments for
the decline of war, including economic interdependence and institutional incentives, on the basis of
causality and questionable impact. Critics of his theories point out that the traditional "war"
conception they are based on excludes any non–state warfare with under 1000 deaths, and thus
explanations of the recent decline do not account for major instances of political violence such as
the Rwandan Genocide. However, Mueller refutes these critiques with the view that such political
violence is merely opportunistic thugs who are the 'residual combatants'. Thus, Mueller's claim that
war has "ceased to exist" is qualified, particularly in light of political changes after the cold war.
Comparatively, Mary Kaldor attempts to address the methodological issues of

Suspense in Steven Spielberg's Movie Jaws Essay
Suspense in Steven Spielberg's Movie Jaws
Steven Spielberg, the creator of Jaws, uses many different techniques to draw in the suspense of
viewers and to capture their imagination. These techniques include special effects – to create
tension, different camera angles – to show facial expressions and group shots. The classic Jaws
music, known by millions of people, also helps build up tension, to let us know when the shark is
approaching. He uses colours, so that we can associate signs and symbols to forthcoming events,
e.g. the colour red is associated with danger. We will be using all of the above devices to help
analyse different parts of the film.
As soon as the film starts, from the title sequence, these techniques are ... Show more content on
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The waves give off a really eerie effect, the whole scene just seems to bee too calm.
The next scene is off the girl swimming, but there is no music playing at all, and makes the
atmosphere feel eerie. You wonder what is going to happen next. Also the girl is totally naked at this
time, which makes her seem very vulnerable, as there is nothing between her and the shark, except
water. She is also away from the party, which makes her seem unsafe.
The camera then starts to switch from the girls point of view, to the sharks point of view. The girl is
totally defenceless to the shark's capabilities, but using this effect allows you to relate to both
characters.
Next, you see a shot of the girl kicking her legs, and the camera slowly zooms in. This shows the
view from the shark's point of view, and shows the audience that the danger is getting closer, which
is certainly building the tension up.
The fact that we do not see the shark makes the audience feel quite uneasy, as in a way we are
uncertain of what the danger is. It also builds up a lot of fear, from our point of view.
There are a lot pauses in the attack, which allows you to see the unconscious boy, slumped on the
beach. To me this shows us that the girl's only chance of survival is totally oblivious to the current
events, and is unaware of her screams. Also when the camera switches onto the boy, it gives a
chance to

Steven Pinker The Moral Instinct Summary
Author Steven Pinker's essay, "The Moral Instinct," states that we have a tendency to rationalize
rather than use reason when we make our moral judgments we then moralize and search for a reason
later. He outlines this with a few hypothetical circumstances, including sex between brother and
sister, using the American flag as a cleaning cloth, and eating a dog. Pinker also shows the
apparently odd gap between individuals decision to moralize something and their justification for
doing so with the "Trolley Problem," which found that several different people could legitimize their
decision to pull a switch to execute one and spare many however, couldn't push a man onto a track
to kill one and spare many. Pinker clarifies that moral goodness is

Steven Spielberg Essay
Steven Spielberg
As a kid in Phoenix, Steven Spielberg charged admission to his home movies while his sister sold
popcorn. Although Spielberg excelled at making movies he was not a good student. He hated school
and was one of the most unathletic students there. His movie making career began at the age of
twelve when his father bought a movie camera that Spielberg used all the time. Instead of doing his
school work he was using the camera. While he was working with his mom and sister on his
projects, his father helped him make miniature sets out of paper mache.He turned out his first
production, with script and actors, when he was thirteen, and a year later he won a prize for a forty
minute war movie
titled ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
However, he followed Close Encounters with the disastrous Movie, 1941, which was his first
attempt at comedy and his first true failure. He didn't take long to regain his form, both
commercially and artistically. Teaming up with his pal George Lucas (whose Star Wars came out the
same year as Close Encounters, and made even more money), Spielberg created an action–adventure
picture based on the old continuing stories, better known as serials, that they both loved as kids.
Called Raiders of the Lost Ark and detailing the adventures of an archaeologist named Indiana
Jones, it earned him another Best Director nomination and made a ton of money at the box office.
A year later, Spielberg surpassed not only himself but Lucas's Star
Wars––his E.T. The Extra–Terrestrial was one of the biggest domestic moneymakers of all time.
Further profiting as a producer of other directors' hits (including
Poltergeist and Back to the Future), Spielberg became one of the richest men in
Hollywood. In 1984, he created his own independent company, Amblin Entertainment, and the
following year, reacting to criticism that he couldn't make an adult picture, he attempted The Color
Purple. Criticized for sentimentalizing the material, he was publicly embarrassed when the film
pulled down eleven Oscar nominations, but not one for its direction. In a goodwill gesture, though,
the
Academy came through for

Nicholas Carr vs. Steven Pinker Essay
Nicholas Carr vs. Steven Pinker
There is no doubt about it that in today's generation the Internet is one of the best phenomenal
creations invented. By simply having a computer, cell phone, tablet, ect, anyone and everyone can
access the Internet. But can this powerful yet simple creation have a drastic effect on how the new
generation operates today? The entire world is rapidly becoming obsessed; everywhere you look
you're bound to see something related to the Internet. Search engines, texting, twittering, blogging;
to name a few. We have all heard of at least one of those internet friendly applications. But can those
applications become too friendly to the point where they are a distraction to the young mind? Can
those applications ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
All of which are pretty apparent that the effect that the internet has on the mind is quite drastic.
On the other hand, Steven Pinker's article strongly disagrees at the fact that the internet affects the
human brain. His defensive points primarily explain how without the internet a lot of today
discoveries and new inventions wouldn't be possible. Also he defends the fact that distraction or
addiction is not a new phenomenon. Regardless of whether the internet is a popular utility or not,
distraction would still be an occurring issue. It is quoted: "If electronic media were hazardous to
intelligence, the quality of science would be plummeting." Also, "Yes the constant arrival of
information packets can be distracting or addictive, especially to people with attention deficit
disorder. But distraction is not a new phenomenon. The solution is not to bemoan technology but to
develop strategies of self–control as we do with every other temptation in life." Steven Pinker is
trying to get the reader to understand that the internet doesn't essentially make you dumber but it
does hinge at one's attention span. Outside of the internet distractions are common everywhere. One
can become distracted by their job, parents, work, internet, ect. Because of these interruptions
Steven Pinker's makes it known that all distractions require self–control. If one doesn't have self
control over an issue they will

Essay about Minority Report
Minority Report is a 2002 science fiction film directed by renowned director Steven Spielberg and is
set in the year 2054 in Washington, D. C. The film revolves around an elite law enforcing squad;
Precrime. The Precrime Division uses three genetically altered humans called Pre–Cogs whom
possesses special powers to see into the future and predict crimes beforehand. After each crime is
foreseen and analyzed, Precrime police officers are sent to the crime location to apprehend the
future murderers and place them under arrest. The future murderers are then put into a sleep state
with a device called a "halo". Based on Minority Report, it suggests that humans are free willed
beings and have the ability to alter the future that was ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Before he was haloed, Anderton managed piece back the puzzle and finally knew who set him up
and as of why he was targeted. The reason was because he knew about Anne Lively who is Agatha's
mother. Anne Lively, a former drug addict when she had Agatha, came back wanting her child back,
and Burgess had to kill her in order to keep Precrime viable since Agatha is the strongest among all
three Pre–Cogs. Burgess had then set up Anderton to cover up Anderton's knowledge about Anne
Lively's murder. Lara, Anderton's wife felt suspicious with Lamar so she visited Anderton and got
him out of his sleep. During the celebratory dinner for the Precrime program, Anderton calls
Burgess and confronts him while the Pre–Cog's footage of Lively's death is played for the guests.
During the moment when Burgess was searching for Anderton, the Pre–Cogs predetermined that
Burgess was going to shoot and kill Anderton. As Burgess finds and draws a gun on Anderton,
Anderton notes to Burgess the dilemma that he is in: either he can shoot and kill Anderton, therefore
signifying that Precrime is a well established and flawless division however by doing so he will
become a murderer himself, on the other hand he can spare Anderton's life, thus showing that
Precrime is nothing but a failure. All the hard work that they had all put in will go down the drain in
the matter of seconds. As a result, Burgess decided to commit

Difference Between Instinct And Intuition
Responding to the smile of a baby, jumping–up when startled by a sudden sound, or even pulling
your hand away from a hot fire are all examples of instinctive behaviour; instinct does not involve
thought but is an automatic, evolutionary response to external stimuli. Instinctive judgements are
more intuitive in nature but though related, in terms of both not involving conscious thought,
instinct and intuition are not the same. Intuition is based on subconscious thought; a pattern
recognized by the brain based on, for instance, past experiences, whereas instinctive judgements
appear to be independent of experience or rational thought. As a student of psychology, I like to
make the distinction that instinct is a behavioural process while intuition is a cognitive, but
subconscious, process. The term 'judgement' used in the above TOKstatement implies taking an
objective or considered decision based on instinct alone rather than on conscious, rational thought. I
believe the absence of conscious ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
For instance, the cognitive scientist and psychologist, Steven Pinker , argues that all thought is
composed prior to its linguistic form. In his book, The Language Instinct, he talks about how
children learn language instinctively, without the need for complex thought and analysis, and feels
that ways of knowing, such as the use of reason to understand grammar rules, actually slows down
the process of language learning. On the other hand, linguistic determinism states that knowledge is
shaped by language and is a cultural construct; people of different languages have different thought
processes. Demonstrating this latter view, a situation, albeit fictional, where language limits
instinctive judgements, can be seen in the success of "Newspeak", the state imposed language in
George Orwell's 1984 , that prevented people from even thinking critically of the

Steven Pinker Mind Over Mass Media Summary
Facts, Studies,Statistics Steven Pinker, author of "Mind over Mass Media", claims that electronic
technologies cause moral panics but that they are nothing to be worried about. Pinker explains in
"Mind over Mass Media" that technology is nothing but an advancement to society. He makes points
about having access to quick information sky rocketing scientific discoveries and electronic media
improving how information reaches the brain. He supports these claims with some studies and
examples but not many. Pinkers arguments are underdeveloped in some sports and not well
supported. Pinker starts off his article with a claim from the other side, "Search engines lower our
intelligence, encouraging us to skim on the surface of knowledge rather than dive to its depths.
Twitter is shrinking our ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Pinker briefly brings up the point that "Experience does not revamp the basic information–
processing capacities of the brain" st 893). He throws in a study about how speed reading programs
that are claiming to exercise the multitasking part of your brain but failing. However, Pinker does
not quote anyone or show us where the study is from. Therefore, we cannot just jump on board to
his argument if it has yet to be backed up by any actual evidence so far. He mentions a little bit
about how multitasking is a myth and then refers to driving and texting. Here he is not quoting any
studies or scientific breakthroughs but he does create a picture in our minds by mentioning the
swerving of a car into the lane just to drive by and realize that they were texting. This method that
he is using it called pathos because you can imagine feeling scared or worried about someone
swerving into your lane but then just realizing that they are dumb and just texting. Although his
argument is valid it is still not well supported. However, he does support some of his arguments in
the

`` From All The Dangers We Face Today `` By Steven Pinker
According to Steven Pinker, "from all the dangers we face today, the dangers of yesterday were even
worse" (Pinker 30). Pinker focuses on the violence in human prehistory, Homeric Greece, and The
Hebrew Bible. He also further discusses how the world has changed and has become less violent.
Pinker says "many readers will be surprised to know that of the twenty–one worst things that people
have ever done to each other, fourteen were in centuries before the 20th" (Pinker 194). Pinker backs
up his information by using charts, in his charts, only one of the world wars is ranked at the top ten
with 55,000,000 deaths. Nonetheless, his charts only prove that violence has declined because the
number of deaths has lowered. However, I disagree Pinker totally ignores new evidence found on
World War II, Rwandan Genocide, Syrian Conflict, and the acts of terrorism from 2001 to the
present.
Although Pinker discusses the succession of WWII, he ranks it number 9 as the deadliest. He clearly
attempts to prove his argument "that the world is less violent" by lessening the view that WWII was
the deadliest acts of violence in all of history. By emphasizing the numbers of casualties he
undermines the great impact WWII had on the world and its victims. I disagree with Pinker's chart
for three reasons; Firstly, the name of the chart "(Possibly) The Twenty (or so) worst things People
Have Done to Each Other", clearly by the title alone one can argue that the evidence used to form
this chart

Whether Language is Instinctive or Learned Essay
Whether Language is Instinctive or Learned
Over the course of time the topic of language has been a catalyst for many discussions and debates
as to if it is learned throughout one's life, or is it a hard copy instinct the one is born with. Many
scientists and writers in the humanities field have their own opinions as to what they believe about
language and its plight in human society. One writer challenges many of our educators and scholars
today by expressing his thoughts on the instinct to understand, learn, and speak language. In The
Language Instinct: How the Mind Creates Language, Steven Pinker maintains that language is not
something that we learn like the way we learn how to tell time or learn about the presidents. Rather,
... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Pinker goes on to comment that a young child's knowledge of language and grammar is more
refined than any artificial language system used by any advanced technology computer aided
programs. Pinker's views that he establishes about language are in accordance with other notable
figures in the humanities field. A man by the name of Noam Chomsky has views that are
representative of the point Pinker is trying to convey: language is a biological makeup of the brain.
As a professor of linguistics at MIT, Chomsky imparted sound arguments as to the nature of
language. Chomsky has suggested the fact that every sentence that a human speaks or comprehends
is an original combination of words that has not been voiced before. Therefore, language is not a
learned trait that has an extensive gamut of expressions, but rather the brain must contain a "hard
drive" that can fabricate an unlimited set of sentences from a limited amount of words. He also
strongly feels that children are inherently equipped with the ability to cull the syntactic patterns of
speech from their parents. We can see this when a young infant begins to babble at the youngest of
ages. This furthermore qualifies and represents Pinker's views on the idea that language is
instinctive. On the other side of the coin, there are those educated people that have different views
and opinions about language than Pinker

Summary Of Steven Pinker And The Language Of Instinct
Elise Brown
11/23/14
Language and Learning
Individual paper: Steven Pinker and The Language of Instinct
"Language is not a cultural artifact that we learn the way we learn to tell time or how the federal
government works. Instead, it is a distinct piece of the biological makeup of our brains. Language is
a complex, specialized skill, which develops in the child spontaneously, without conscious effort or
formal instruction, is deployed without awareness of its underlying logic, is qualitatively the same in
every individual, and is distinct from more general abilities to process information or behave
intelligently. For these reasons, some cognitive scientists have described language as a
psychological faculty, a mental organ, a neural system, and a computational module. But I prefer the
admittedly quaint term 'instinct'" (4–5). In the book, The Language ... Show more content on
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Pinker describes language as a human instinct and discusses the evolution of language. Pinker, a
psychology professor at Harvard University, provides a thorough description of research he has done
with children and animals to prove how language is created, how it develops throughout life, and
how it came to be in the first place. Much of Pinker's book discusses developments made by Noam
Chomsky, an American linguist, and reproduces these developments in a more clear and
understandable form. Within The Language Instinct, Pinker discusses many complicated topics like
the idea of universal grammar, the separation between language and thought, the difference between
oral language and written language and the evolution of language as well as

The Moral Instinct By Steven Pinker
The Moral Themes of Peter Singer In The Moral Instinct, Steven Pinker cites Haidt's "primary
colors" of the moral sense (329). Pinker believes that all moral decisions can be categorized with
these primary colors and, though everyone can see these colors, they are prioritized differently by
different people. Haidt identifies five primaries–harm, fairness, community, authority, and purity–all
of which make up the moral spectrum. These recurring moral themes can be found everywhere from
cultural norms to the decisions and beliefs of individuals. Though the themes can be identified in
works regarding ethics and morality, they–if applied correctly–can also give insight into the way the
author prioritizes the moral colors.
Singer's Ethical Argument Peter Singer, a prominent moral philosopher and public intellectual, has
written at length about many ethical issues. He subscribes to utilitarianism, which is the position that
the best moral action is that which maximizes the well–being of conscious entities; this view is
made apparent through his writings. In his essay What Should a Billionaire Give–and What Should
You? Singer presents the idea that although the rich are capable of mitigating extreme poverty, there
has been little improvement for the poorest 10 percent of the world's population. He maintains that
all life is equal and, therefore, saving the lives of the poor is a moral imperative for those who can
afford to. "We are far from acting in accordance to that belief,"

Horace Miner's Body Ritual Among The.
Prompt #1 Horace Miner's "Body Ritual Among the Nacirema" was a very entertaining essay. The
essay made made fun of American culture without directly stating the name of the culture, other
than including the word American spelled backwards. Miner bring to the readers attention the odd
rituals practiced in America that the normal citizen would not find strange at all. However, by
presenting his essay in the this form he shows how strange American customs are from the view of
someone in a different country. Miner begins his essay by describing the American culture as if it
were a tribe. Although he does so secretly, Horace Miner does state that the tribe is located between
Canada and Mexico. He then states that they have an a developed market, yet they're main concern
is on the body. He then goes on to talk about the ritual areas in the homes on the Nacirema people,
bathrooms, where the people practice they're odd rituals. He does not use direct terms for the
medicine men, nor any of the other physicians that are seen in the daily lives of American people.
Miner continues this process while only leaving slight hints. Horace Miner does a terrific job in this
satire. Once view of this paper is noticed, the reader can be entertained by the mysterious ways of
the Nacerima people. This essay has brought attention to the ways of American culture, which is not
only infomative but very entertaining. Prompt #2 never run, just WALK and ENJOY My life motto
has

Freakonomics A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side...
Freakonomics A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything by Steven D. Levitt and
Stephen J. Dubner
Freakonomics brings together many combinations of thoughts that one wouldn't find relevant in
companionship. The two authors discuss comparisons that are so off the wall, that you almost
question reading the book; however, that is the reason many read the book in the first place. The
authors Levitt and Dubner compare in one chapter of Freakonomics the reason why drug dealers
live with their moms. Throughout this chapter, the authors discuss questions about why intelligent
people sometimes do not ask questions that people really care about, advertising and surveys, and
why, in general, do drug dealers still live with their ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Therefore, I find that throughout this topic of discussion from Freakonomics, the author's use
examples that help clarify the reader's curiosity to why such a question should be asked in the first
place, and thus, setting the reader's mind to think about the following topics in the chapter.
The second point I aim to prove, is the author's use of advertising and examples of misused surveys
to prepare the reader for the chapter's topic. The evidence in this section is based on an example of
Mitch Snyder, who was an advocate for homeless people, a Listerine advertising campaign, and the
Atlanta Police Department's instantly cleaner image to prepare for the 1996 Olympic Games. All
three of these examples leave the reader feeling like they have just wasted 15 minutes reading
something that does not even pertain to the chapter's content.
Levitt and Dubner use Mitch Snyder's case as an example to show how surveys and statistics, when
given in error, provide the media with an informational field day. Snyder was an activist for
homeless people who testified before Congress about the enormous size of the current homeless
rate.Their use of this example is hard to understand, because sufficient evidence is not given to the
reader as to why this example is important. The section on advertising seems to take the reader away
from the chapter's context for a while, confuse them, and then land them back to

`` Violence Vanquished `` By Steven Pinker
In his Wall Street Journal essay, "Violence Vanquished," Steven Pinker claims that contrary to
perceived notions of increasing violence and turbulence in the world, "brutality is declining and
empathy is on the rise." Pinker establishes this argument through numeric comparisons of death
tolls, genocides and other aggressive perpetrations in modern society with those in prehistoric times.
He credits the fall in these quantifications of "violence" to the processes of pacification, civilization,
humanitarian revolution, Long Peace, New Peace and the rights revolution that have together
created an environment conducive to "our better angels."
While Pinker does an efficient job substantiating these claims with abstract examples of our "bloody
history" drawn from sources like the Old Testament and feudal lifestyles, his argument rests upon a
narrow denotation of violence that only looks at human death and no other manifestation of
aggression. Though Pinker organizes his argument to prove each development process's impact on
peace, he fails to acknowledge the price society has paid in ways like global warming, diplomatic
inadequacy and weak national governments. The data Pinker uses to prove his point obscures the
collateral damage social change has generated by creating new forms of violence that are as
destructive as wars but disproportionately affected certain communities.
Although Pinker references historical violence as portrayed in, "gory mutilations in Shakespeare 's

The Book ' 12 Year Of Slave ' : Empathy And Brotherly Love...
The Sufferings of " 12 Years Slave": Empathy and Brotherly Love would Have Saved the Day
In book The Blank Slate (Pinker 2002), Steven Pinker of Harvard University had presented this
argument: Thanks to natural selection, human nature is built around greed, lust, revenge, rage,
machismo, and tribalism. The film "12 Year of Slave" portrays such a human nature in its visceral
terms.
The main theme of the film is slavery, greed, and tribalism, American life characteristics on a par
with apple pie and baseball. The film is based on a true story of educated carpenter, musician and
family man from New York State who, in 1841, was abducted and sold into slavery deep in the
south –––a gruesome common phenomenon in 19th century America.
The film opens with Solomon Northrop (the protagonist of the film) cutting sugar cane on a big
plantation. Then the film reverts back to an earlier time, a time Solomon is leading a normal life by
being his own master and living in New York with a wife and children. Solomon is hired by a pair of
white men to play a violin in a circus. The pair spots in Solomon something more valuable than his
musical talent: the color of his skin, his brawny physique and his athletic characteristics parade him
as textbook example of hard–wearing slave, a commodity coveted in the America of antebellum era.
Soon, the pair conspires to capture Solomon and sell him into slavery. To cover up for their
transgression, the film depicts the pair faking civility by

Why The World Is More Peaceful By Steven Pinker Analysis
"Why The World Is More Peaceful": A Critique In the article "Why The World Is More Peaceful",
the author, Steven Pinker (2012), argues that, over hundreds of years, violence has declined around
the world. He claims that government, commerce, and literacy have encouraged people to restrain
their violent impulses, empathize with others, and use reason to solve problems. This article was
first published in the journal Current History. It is a continuation of an argument Pinker made in his
book The Better Angels Of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined (2011). The article is directed
toward a general but educated audience. Although Pinker's article is relevant and logical, many of
the author's arguments are not supported with adequate ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Pinker ends with stating that people, like past generations, should work to reduce the violence that
remains in this time period.
Pinker's argument is logical and consistent. Pinker, an experimental psychologist, is one of the
world's leading experts on language and the mind. So, he is qualified to write about violence within
the human race. But, because of his level of expertise within this field, he uses words and phrases
that the average reader might not understand. For example, Pinker uses the word carnage instead of
massacre, the word ubiquitous instead of everywhere, and the word tenuous instead of weak.
Readers from a general audience may not understand what these words mean. In contrast, the author
defines key terms for the audience. For instance, he explains reason as the "intensifying application
of knowledge and rationally to human affairs". By providing definitions for key concepts, Pinker
eliminates confusion on important topics in his article. Additionally, the article is well organized.
Pinker uses subtitles and transition words to make his writing flow smoothly. Also, the author
addresses opposing sides to his arguments and counters them. For example, in response to the
destructiveness of wars, Pinker counters that all of the developments have been systematically
reversed. Finally, Pinker's argument is consistent. From the beginning to the end of his article, he
claims that

' Mind Over Mass Media, By Steven Pinker
The article "Mind Over Mass Media" by Steven Pinker uses logos, ethos, pathos, and other
rhetorical elements to effectively communicate that mass media is a positive development and is not
a reason for panic. The first noticeable rhetorical element in Pinker's essay is the presence of a
rhetorical triangle. A rhetorical triangle is made up of a rhetor, the audience, and the rhetor's
purpose. In this essay Steven Pinker is the rhetor because is the one trying to make a point to the
audience. The audience is the reader of the article who is listening to the rhetor. Finally, the text or
point the rhetor is trying to make is that e effects of mass media are not a cause for panic. In fact
mass media is an effective way for humans to keep up with the modern age. The clearly defined
rhetorical triangle in Steven Pinker's essay is a surface level example of rhetorical elements in the
text. Another rhetorical element that can be seen in Steven Pinker's "Mind Over Mass Media" is the
element of logos. Logos is an attempt at using facts and logic to persuade an audience. It is the most
emphasized and widely used rhetorical appeal in Pinker's essay about media. The first example of
logos appears when Pinker writes about the "you are what you eat" theory. Pinker says that most of
the critics of media act like humans immediately change follow what information they get.
Logically this doesn't make much sense, people can learn about things and not be totally changed by
them. Since Pinker

The World Is Not Falling Apart By Steven Pinker And Andrew...
The article, The World Is Not Falling Apart by Steven Pinker and Andrew Mack published by Slate,
reminds the world not to focus on the media's perception of our corrupt world, but rather look
closely and evaluate what true measures of violence unfolding each day. Humans' perception of the
world is based off of the media, which states the earth is in a process of deteriorating. However, if
one focuses on the trend lines instead of the headline, one would figure out that the world has never
been in such a peaceful era. In the article Bill Clinton was recorded stating to "follow the trend lines,
not the headlines", this means to take breakdown what information is being presented to the world
each day and simplify it to our own judgments. This article is intended to suggest that people need
to wake up from their lethargic routines, and not rely on unreliable sources that only concentrate on
the major crimes, not the repetitive ones. Instead of focusing on the dramatic violence the media
presents, turn focus on the amount of violence in the world, not the magnitude of the crime. Trend
lines; are the rates in a data table either showing a negative slope or a positive one. In this instance,
the trend lines of crimes like homicides, rapes, and shooting in the US are on a downwards slope.
However, trend lines on the subject are rarely researched because they are no competition for
headlines. Headlines are what grasp the worlds attention, even if it's not true. Headlines create

The Sense Of Style By Steven Pinker
The essay "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker explains that writing is not a natural talent. Pinker
argues that to improve the skill of writing, people must read other's written work to understand and
learn the rules of writing. I have written a summary based on Pinker's essay explaining the
importance of reading and how to improve writing skills. Through my response, I indicate the
necessity of reading to improve writing skills, but by practicing the rules learned by writing the
reader will remember what they have learned.
Many accomplished writers believe that writing "came naturally to them" (Pinker 1), as stated by
this excerpt. However, in "The Sense of Style" Steven Pinker argues that writing is not a natural
talent and it must be ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Pinker then states that a writer should always begin an introduction sentence "strong. Not with a
cliché" (Pinker 2) like "don't count your chicks before they hatch". The reader learns how to
effectively begin a paragraph and what to avoid when starting a paragraph. Furthermore, Pinker
continues to dissect Dawkins book and turn his sentences into writing lessons for the reader, as he
analyzes another line: "most people are never going to die" (Pinker 2). Pinker explains that this line
had used a paradox meaning that "a person, thing or situation that has two opposite features and ...
seem strange" ("Paradox"). Therefore, the reader has learned a few important writing rules.
However, Pinker continues to analyze and dissect other written passages to further improve the
readers writing skills.
The two other written works that Pinker dissects and analyzes is an obituary for the author Maurice
Sendak, who wrote nursery books for children, and another obituary for Pauline Philips who was a
columnist, for the article "Dear Abby". In the obituary for Sendak, Pinker analyzes the line, "into the
dark, terrifying, and hauntingly beautiful recess" (Pinker 4). As stated in this excerpt the reader has
learned that any subject can be explained or summarized in one sentence (Pinker 4). The reader also
learns that they can have a zeugma within their written work (Pinker 4); which is a word that has to
"be understood in two different ways at

Steven Pinker Crazy Love Summary
In this article from Time magazine entitled "Crazy Love", the author Steven Pinker, discusses the
implications of falling in love, the extent of its effect on human beings, and the methodology of
people's endeavors to find potential spouses. The author argues that experiencing love has the power
to drive humans to take actions that under rational circumstances, they would likely not partake in.
Pinker asserts that the symptoms of romantic infatuation are "different from both raw lust and the
enduring commitment that keeps lovers together." That we as human beings should all know the
symptoms: the idealization of our significant others, massive mood swings that vary from ecstasy to
despair, the inability to eat or sleep, and the "intense need for signs of reciprocated feelings." He ...
Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
He asks us to imagine a world in which the humans become rational shoppers "looking for the best
available mate." For "unsentimental social scientists" and the forever–aloners, this is a world not
entirely unlike the one we currently live in. According to Pinker, people browse around online for
the most desirable mate that will accept them. Which is to be expected in a marketplace in which
people are looking to receive "the best price you can get (the other person) for the goods you're
offering (you)." That is why most marriages typically pair a bride and groom of roughly equal
status. In this society where you settle for the best one you can find, it leaves room for vulnerability:
that there is always a chance that one of you might meet someone of a higher value. Yet Pinker
reassures his audience by offering an alternative option to rational "shopping" for a partner. Instead,
he states that one should not "accept a partner who wanted you for rational reasons" but rather
someone who is "emotionally committed to you" just because of who you

Mass Over Mass Media By Steven Pinker
The article "Mass Over Mass Media" is written by Steven Pinker. Pinker is a professor in
Psychology at Harvard University who focusses on visual cognation and psychology in language.
He is well known for The Language Instinct & How the Mind Works. He was also listed as one of
the most influential people out of 100 in the world. Also, he is known for his ongoing debate over
how the internet has affected our world. Furthermore, author Steven Pinker, states his thesis in a
peculiar way by stating that people often react in a rash way and make negative assumptions when it
comes to inventions and their impacts. All forms of media have the power to draw a person in but
that person must control themselves by using the information without abusing it. Consequently,
social media and the internet have had a major impact on our daily lives from the way we work to
the way we learn and socialize.
SUMMARY
In Steven Pinker's article, he discusses the debates which have risen about all the different types of
media and how they affect our brains. He makes a ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Throughout history and evolution of mankind, there have been many discoveries and they have
advanced our lives in a way we could never have phantom. Pinker backs up his thesis by providing
logical evidence from a variety of sources. He points out that crime rates dropped when people
thought comic books would cause the opposite; IQ's went up when television, transistor radios and
rock videos were supposed to cause the opposite; electronic media was supposed to poison our
minds, however, discoveries are on the rise at a rate no one can keep up to. Social media is a power
horse that causes people to be drawn in whether they want to or not, however one must have the
power to limit themselves to the quality not the

Steven Pinker Warburton
There are many pressing questions that as both humans and social scientists, it's important to try to
interpret them for a better understanding of the way they work within society. Steven Pinker, a
Professor of Psychology at Harvard University, provides examples of taking that curiosity and using
it to develop theories towards the relationship between violence and human nature. This has lead to
various ideas about the root of human morals and what that is encompassed of from biological,
psychological, and sociological perspectives. In an interview between Steven Pinker and Nigel
Warburton, they begin to dicuss the subject of violence in the past compared to the present. Pinker
believes that there has been an overall decrease in violence.

Steven Spielberg Biography Essay example
Steven Spielberg Biography
Steven Spielberg: Revolutionary and Visionary
Who would have thought that a brilliant career in filmmaking could have originated with a modest
jar of Skippy Peanut Butter smeared on a neighbor's window in a tiny Cincinnati suburb? One might
not think that such an average boyhood prank could evolve a boy into a man who would become the
most financially successful film director in history. Well, that is exactly where Leah Spielberg,
Steven Spielberg's mother, would trace her son's initial entry into becoming one of our nation's most
creative storytellers. "His badness was so original," she recalls (Stein 3).
Steven Spielberg, the only child of Leah and Arnold Spielberg, was born on December 18, ... Show
more content on Helpwriting.net ...
The grin of a clown, a deadly tree outside a window, and being afraid at night, all out of 1982's
Poltergeist, were all born out of Steven's real childhood phobias (5). Influence for films such as
1993's Academy Award winning drama/documentary Schindler's List could be attributed Steven
growing up in a Jewish family. Steven has recalled that during his days in school he felt
discriminated from others for being apart of the only Jewish family within the whole community
(Graham 530). During the Christmas season, he would be embarrassed that his family's house would
be the only one without lights or decorations. When his father offered to place a menorah in the
window, Steven responded, "No!...People will think we're Jewish" (Graham 528).
Steven has claimed to have learned his numbers as a toddler with the help of a concentration camp
survivor who pointed out the numerals tattooed on his arm. However, it was at high school, where
he was first exposed to anti–Semitic behavior. He would suffer verbal and sometimes physical abuse
from other students. Making movies was definitely an escape for Steven who told the New York
Post, "I enjoy the sense of being transported and no longer thinking anyone is in the audience"
(529).
"Nearly three years after finishing Escape to Nowhere, he made his first feature–length film
Firelight. It was a two–and–a–half–hour

Body Ritual Among The Nacirema Summary
Prompt #1 Horace Miner's "Body Ritual among the Nacirema" was a very entertaining essay. The
essay made made fun of American culture without directly stating the name of the culture, other
than including the word American spelled backwards. Miner bring to the reader's attention the odd
rituals practiced in America that the normal citizen would not find strange at all. However, by
presenting his essay in this form he shows how strange American customs are from the view of
someone in a different country. Miner begins his essay by describing the American culture as if it
were a tribe. Although he does so secretly, Horace Miner does state that the tribe is located between
Canada and Mexico. He then states that they have a developed market, yet they're main concern is
on the body. He then goes on to talk about the ritual areas in the homes on the Nacirema people,
bathrooms, where the people practice they're odd rituals. He does not use direct terms for the
medicine men, nor any of the other physicians that are seen in the daily lives of American people.
Miner continues this process while only leaving slight hints. Horace Miner does a terrific job in this
satire. Once view of this paper is noticed, the reader can be entertained by the mysterious ways of
the Nacerima people. This essay has brought attention to the ways of American culture, which is not
only informative but very entertaining. Prompt #2 never run, just WALK and ENJOY My life motto
has always

The Architecture Of Doom And Steven Pinker 's The Better...
The Architecture of Doom clearly demonstrates how Hitler uses our inner demon of ideology to
suppress our inner angels for his own gain. Hitler and those who, according to The Architecture of
Doom, had also been denied by the world of art created his own ideology of beauty. This ideology
of beauty required a pureness of blood, a cleanlier people to create a more perfect nation. Hitler used
his artistic abilities to create a distorted vision of those he felt weren't worthy. The Architecture of
Doom and Steven Pinker's The Better Angels of Our Nature show how Hitler used each of the
subsections of Ideology to create an atmosphere conducive for the mass genocide that took place.
"He experienced Germany's sudden and unexpected defeat in World War I and concluded that it
could be explained only by the treachery of an internal enemy. Hitler was an idealist: he had a moral
vision in which heroic sacrifices would bring about a thousand–year utopia," (Pinker 495). Self–
deception is a concept of the ideology category that Steven Pinker explains in great detail. On page
491, Pinker compares self–deception to illegal ledgers. Like people, there is a public and a private
ledger. The public ledger is the one everyone can see and accepts as the truth, but isn't. The private
ledger is what holds all of the truths of the business, but is kept a secret. This is how a person can be
both on the receiving end of deception and the promoting end of the deception. Hitler so wanted to
believe that

Rhetorical Analysis Of Mind Over Mass Media By Steven Pinker
In the article"Mind Over Mass Media" by Steven Pinker he covers the controversial topics of the
effect that the new forms of media have on our mental capabilities and moral opinions. He refutes
that media has not taken a toll on our intelligence, but, in fact, it has increased it, even to the extent
of raising our IQs. Although there are likely negative impacts like addiction or distraction, he
indicates that these impacts can be controlled, so hence the title "Mind Over Mass Media." Pinker's
central claim is that new media technologies increase our intelligence and through their use, more
discoveries are being made. Through the powers of his persuasion, Pinker draws us in, by appealing
to his audience using historical and scientific evidence, ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
Pinker expresses his values between the lines of his argument. Intelligence is the most stated value
of his when he defends technologies as "the only things that will keep us smart" (Pinker). Science
and education also come under the umbrella of his intelligence as a value, providing a measurement
of his argument in an effective, meaningful way. "If electronic media were hazardous to intelligence,
the quality of scientific discipline would be plummeting" (Pinker), which indicates that we need
technology to continue making scientific discoveries, as it is the primary tool employed in most of
them. To arrive at this intelligence, we must value education, which we gain by attending college
and through practicing skills

Steven Pinker The Language Instinct Summary
Steven Pinker finds that language comes naturally in human capacity. In "The Language Instinct,"
he argues that even if thoughts may lead to form of speech, language and thoughts are not the same
thing. He explains that thoughts do not necessarily depend on words, as one would not always be
able to find specific words that exactly represent what one thinks. Countless amounts of thoughts
can be created from a single mind, which would seem to be more complicated than a complete
sentence, but Pinker is not focusing on the limitlessness of the mind, but the specific aspect of
imagery without confusion. A sentence can provide a sense of time, action, and meaning generated
from the source of thoughts. However, Pinker mentions how "sometimes a whole

Steven Pinker Violence Vanquished
Violence is an issue in human nature. Everyone has their own definition and their own
interpretations of violence. The big question is if the world is still growing in its violent nature, or is
it finally reaching its solemn, peaceful generation. The evolution of violence has grown in many
different paths from survival of the fittest, genocide, slavery, etc. According to Steven Pinker's
article "Violence Vanquished," he explains how the world is entering an era of peace because we do
not deal with the same violence our ancestors did in the past. That is true. We abolished slavery,
stopped brutal wars, and revolutionized with strategies such as commerce. Pinker analyzes his
arguments very well, but negates common issues of violence that we still ... Show more content on
Helpwriting.net ...
Women of different races, age groups, and lifestyles have dealt with sexual, physical, and
psychological abuses from history until today.
Historically, domestic violence on females has evolved drastically. It used to be a norm for women
to be objects of their fathers or husbands and lacked civil rights. In many cultures, domestic violence
was not preceded as a crime. According to Marcia Chaiken's article "Domestic Violence and
Criminal Justice," she explains the history of violence against women and how it has evolved
through the centuries. Chaiken states how women experience physical and sexual violence by their
intimate partners which leave harmful effects on mental and physical health, and their ability to live
healthy and productive lives. In the past, men had the right to use physical force against their wives
and forcing sex was considered a private relational problem. Forcing sex was sought as romance
back in the day, not rape. Religions generally discouraged the act of physical abuse within
relationships, but women had to obey the men because they lived under his roof. A common
perception of the past was that a man's home was inviolate and authorities cannot interfere with
relationships. Around the 1960s, women

Comparing The Media Techniques Used to Present the D-Day...
Comparing The Media Techniques Used to Present the D–Day Landings in the Longest Day and
Saving Private Ryan
The heroism and bravery of those who took part in the D–Day has been brought to the big screen
from several perspectives. 1939–1945 were some of the most horrific times in the broad spectrum of
human conflict ever seen by mankind with unmatched weapons of devastation and the senseless
slaughter of millions of lives both on and off the fields of battle. The Longest Day (1962) is a
brilliant rendition of the famous D–Day invasion of Normandy. The film is quite accurate, depicting
the perspectives of all sides of the war involved in the event. Multiple viewpoints give the film an
objective feel, as ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
One scene in SPR reinforces how death takes its time. One soldier had his arm blown off, then
stoops down to pick it up. Spielberg has managed to give us a clearer indication of war merely by
using the latest technology available to him.
Camera techniques are imperative to each film. By using different techniques, the director can create
various moods, or change our perception on the whole film. We would expect the techniques in
Saving Private Ryan to be more sophisticated, as it is quite a modern film. The Longest Day is
filmed and edited in a way, which uses the panning shot so it is edited quite slowly. The camera is
placed to show as much action as possible. Zanuck has used the panning and aerial shots to illustrate
a large–scale action, without much personal involvement. It is more respectful as it leaves out much
dwelling on physical violence of war where in contrast, Spielberg exposes war as it is in the sense
that there is a high level of violence and death. In the Longest Day, when the soldiers are running
across the beach, the camera moves along with them. The camera also flicks close up to the allies.
The Americans are portrayed as being faultless while the Germans are revealed as being

Steven Pinker The Moral Instinct Summary
In the article on ''The Moral Instinct'', Steven Pinker begins by posing a question, who do you find
the most admirable: Bill gates, Mother Teresa or Norman Borlaug? These are all great people but
who we choose is based upon our perception of what we prefer from their accomplishments. Pinker
begins by saying, we as human strive towards moral goodness, and this gives us a sense of being
worthy. He then argues that moralization is used as a psychological state that we use to deem our
actions as moral or immoral. Moreover, some actions are prohibited universally, such as killing or
rapping, and people who commit these acts are deserved to be punished which is agreed upon the
majority. Pinker depicts that moralization is used to reduce harm but it is done rationally mostly
without real reasoning. ... Show more content on Helpwriting.net ...
This is how they rationalize morality and ultimately they do not have any real reason behind the
moralization of an act. The author then goes on with suggesting that people are born with a universal
moral background and that we develop it from childhood. This is why some children show morality
blindness which they carry on to adulthood. They are five different varieties of moral experiences
suggested by Pinker which are: fairness, harm, community, authority and purity. These five moral
spheres are universal but some of them are more important in some cultures and locations than
others. For example, the west puts a greater emphasis on the importance of fairness than community
which is not the case in most parts of the world. Pinker concludes that we need to understand
ourselves better as humans and look into solving the world issues without giving irrelevant moral
reasons as an excuse of not tackling the problem. (309

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