---
title: "4 Arguing Quotes By Steven Pinker"
description: "4 Arguing quotes by Steven Pinker. Plus more from Steven Pinker and more Arguing sayings from other authors."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a56/steven-pinker-526_arguing_i-would-argue-that-nothing-gives-life-mo_166636.jpg"
---

> [I would argue that nothing gives life more purpose than the realization that every moment of consciousness is a precious and fragile…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/i-would-argue-that-nothing-gives-life-more-purpose-than-the/)

[Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a56/steven-pinker-526_arguing_i-would-argue-that-nothing-gives-life-mo_166636.jpg)

> [Academics lack perspective. In a debate on whether the world is round, they would argue, 'No,' because it's an oblate spheroid. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/academics-lack-perspective-in-a-debate-on-whether-the-world-is-round/)

[Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a68/steven-pinker-526_arguing_academics-lack-perspective-in-a-debate-o_346653.jpg)

> [Reason is non-negotiable. Try to argue against it, or to exclude it from some realm of knowledge, and you've already lost the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/reason-is-non-negotiable-try-to-argue-against-it-or-to-exclude-it/)

[Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bca/steven-pinker-526_arguing_reason-is-non-negotiable-try-to-argue-ag_1002270.jpg)

> [Reason is non-negotiable. Try to argue against it, or to exclude it from some realm of knowledge, and you've already lost the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/reason-is-non-negotiable-try-to-argue-against-it-or-to-exclude-it-2/)

[Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

[Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f5a/steven-pinker-526_arguing_reason-is-non-negotiable-try-to-argue-ag_3086413.jpg)

## Other authors on Arguing

## More by Steven Pinker

> [Forcing modern speakers of English to not - whoops, not to split an infinitive because it isn't done in Latin makes about as much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/forcing-modern-speakers-of-english-to-not-whoops-not-to-split-an/)

[Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

> [Consistent style prevents presentation from getting in the way of content.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/consistent-style-prevents-presentation-from-getting-in-the-way-of/)

[Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

> [The supposedly immaterial soul, we now know, can be bisected with a knife, altered by chemicals, started or stopped by electricity, and extinguished by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/the-supposedly-immaterial-soul-we-now-know-can-be-bisected-with-a/)

[Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

> [I've never argued that humans are massively hot-wired. What I was trying to point out was that you can't understand how we learn unless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/i-ve-never-argued-that-humans-are-massively-hot-wired-what-i-was/)

[Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

> [As many political writers have pointed out, commitment to political equality is not an empirical claim that people are clones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/as-many-political-writers-have-pointed-out-commitment-to-political/)

[Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

> [Since violence is largely a male pastime, cultures that empower women tend to move away from the glorification of violence and are less likely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/since-violence-is-largely-a-male-pastime-cultures-that-empower-women/)

[Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

> [When it comes to explaining human thought and behavior, the possibility that heredity plays any role at all still has the power to shock.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/when-it-comes-to-explaining-human-thought-and-behavior-the/)

[Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

> [Morality is not just any old topic in psychology but close to our conception of the meaning of life. Moral goodness is what gives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/morality-is-not-just-any-old-topic-in-psychology-but-close-to-our/)

[Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

> [“The biblical story of the binding of Isaac shows that human sacrifice was far from unthinkable in the 1st millennium BCE. The Israelites boasted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/the-biblical-story-of-the-binding-of-isaac-shows-that-human-sacrifice/)

[Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

> [Part of the bargain of being alive is that one takes a chance at dying a premature or painful death, be it from violence,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/part-of-the-bargain-of-being-alive-is-that-one-takes-a-chance-at/)

[Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

> [In fact, without a specification of a creature's goals, the very idea of intelligence is meaningless. A toadstool could be given a genius award…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/in-fact-without-a-specification-of-a-creature-s-goals-the-very-idea/)

[Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

> [“The obvious cure for the tragic shortcomings of human intuition in a high-tech world is education. And this offers priorities for educational policy: to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/the-obvious-cure-for-the-tragic-shortcomings-of-human-intuition-in-a/)

[Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

> [If you look in general at people who live in anarchy, they have quite high rates of death from either homicide or warfare or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/if-you-look-in-general-at-people-who-live-in-anarchy-they-have-quite/)

[Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

> [“In some eras, self-control defines the paragon of a decent person: a grown-up, a person of dignity, a lady or a gentleman, a mensch.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/in-some-eras-self-control-defines-the-paragon-of-a-decent-person-a/)

[Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

> [Knowledge is a continuous fabric, in which ideas are connected to other ideas. Reason-free zones, in which people can assert arbitrary beliefs safe from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/knowledge-is-a-continuous-fabric-in-which-ideas-are-connected-to/)

[Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "ItemList",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arguing/steven-pinker/#itemlist",
            "name": "4 Arguing Quotes By Steven Pinker",
            "numberOfItems": 4,
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "item": {
                        "@type": "Quotation",
                        "text": "I would argue that nothing gives life more purpose than the realization that every moment of consciousness is a precious and fragile gift.",
                        "creator": {
                            "@type": "Person",
                            "name": "Steven Pinker"
                        },
                        "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/i-would-argue-that-nothing-gives-life-more-purpose-than-the/",
                        "image": {
                            "@type": "ImageObject",
                            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a56/steven-pinker-526_arguing_i-would-argue-that-nothing-gives-life-mo_166636.jpg",
                            "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a56/steven-pinker-526_arguing_i-would-argue-that-nothing-gives-life-mo_166636.jpg",
                            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a56/steven-pinker-526_arguing_i-would-argue-that-nothing-gives-life-mo_166636.jpg",
                            "width": 1080,
                            "height": 1080,
                            "caption": "“I would argue that nothing gives life more purpose than the realization that every moment of consciousness…” — Steven Pinker",
                            "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                            "creator": {
                                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "item": {
                        "@type": "Quotation",
                        "text": "Academics lack perspective. In a debate on whether the world is round, they would argue, 'No,' because it's an oblate spheroid. They suffer from 'the curse of knowledge': the inability to imagine what it's like not to know something that they know.",
                        "creator": {
                            "@type": "Person",
                            "name": "Steven Pinker"
                        },
                        "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/academics-lack-perspective-in-a-debate-on-whether-the-world-is-round/",
                        "image": {
                            "@type": "ImageObject",
                            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a68/steven-pinker-526_arguing_academics-lack-perspective-in-a-debate-o_346653.jpg",
                            "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a68/steven-pinker-526_arguing_academics-lack-perspective-in-a-debate-o_346653.jpg",
                            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a68/steven-pinker-526_arguing_academics-lack-perspective-in-a-debate-o_346653.jpg",
                            "width": 1080,
                            "height": 1080,
                            "caption": "“Academics lack perspective. In a debate on whether the world is round, they would argue, 'No,' because it's…” — Steven Pinker",
                            "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                            "creator": {
                                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "item": {
                        "@type": "Quotation",
                        "text": "Reason is non-negotiable. Try to argue against it, or to exclude it from some realm of knowledge, and you've already lost the argument, because you're using reason to make your case. And no, this isn't having \"faith\" in reason (in the same way that some people have faith in miracles), because we don't \"believe\" in reason; we use reason.",
                        "creator": {
                            "@type": "Person",
                            "name": "Steven Pinker"
                        },
                        "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/reason-is-non-negotiable-try-to-argue-against-it-or-to-exclude-it/",
                        "image": {
                            "@type": "ImageObject",
                            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bca/steven-pinker-526_arguing_reason-is-non-negotiable-try-to-argue-ag_1002270.jpg",
                            "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bca/steven-pinker-526_arguing_reason-is-non-negotiable-try-to-argue-ag_1002270.jpg",
                            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bca/steven-pinker-526_arguing_reason-is-non-negotiable-try-to-argue-ag_1002270.jpg",
                            "width": 1080,
                            "height": 1080,
                            "caption": "“Reason is non-negotiable. Try to argue against it, or to exclude it from some realm of knowledge, and you've…” — Steven Pinker",
                            "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                            "creator": {
                                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "item": {
                        "@type": "Quotation",
                        "text": "Reason is non-negotiable. Try to argue against it, or to exclude it from some realm of knowledge, and you've already lost the argument, because you're using reason to make your case. ... We don't \"believe\" in reason.",
                        "creator": {
                            "@type": "Person",
                            "name": "Steven Pinker"
                        },
                        "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/reason-is-non-negotiable-try-to-argue-against-it-or-to-exclude-it-2/",
                        "image": {
                            "@type": "ImageObject",
                            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f5a/steven-pinker-526_arguing_reason-is-non-negotiable-try-to-argue-ag_3086413.jpg",
                            "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f5a/steven-pinker-526_arguing_reason-is-non-negotiable-try-to-argue-ag_3086413.jpg",
                            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f5a/steven-pinker-526_arguing_reason-is-non-negotiable-try-to-argue-ag_3086413.jpg",
                            "width": 1080,
                            "height": 1080,
                            "caption": "“Reason is non-negotiable. Try to argue against it, or to exclude it from some realm of knowledge, and you've…” — Steven Pinker",
                            "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                            "creator": {
                                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "@type": "CollectionPage",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arguing/steven-pinker/#webpage",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arguing/steven-pinker/",
            "name": "Arguing Quotes by Steven Pinker",
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "mainEntity": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arguing/steven-pinker/#itemlist"
            },
            "primaryImageOfPage": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a56/steven-pinker-526_arguing_i-would-argue-that-nothing-gives-life-mo_166636.jpg"
            },
            "description": "4 Arguing quotes by Steven Pinker. Plus more from Steven Pinker and more Arguing sayings from other authors.",
            "breadcrumb": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arguing/steven-pinker/#breadcrumb"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arguing/steven-pinker/#breadcrumb",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Topics",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/categories/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Arguing",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arguing/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 5,
                    "name": "Steven Pinker",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arguing/steven-pinker/"
                }
            ]
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```