American constitution Quote by Steven Pinker

“The connections I draw between human nature and political systems in my new book, for example, were prefigured in the debates during the Enlightenment and during the framing of the American Constitution.” quote by Steven Pinker — Download Open image

“The connections I draw between human nature and political systems in my new book, for example, were prefigured in the debates during the Enlightenment and during the framing of the American Constitution.”

Steven Pinker

About This Quote

Source Book: The Better Angels of Our Nature, 2011

Human nature and politics intertwine, rooted in Enlightenment ideas.

In simple terms: Nature and politics are linked historically.

Key Takeaway

Study history to understand current systems.

Themes

politics human nature history

Mood

analytical thoughtful

Type

academic reflective

When to use this quote

education
policy analysis
public debate

Key Concepts

enlightenment constitutional design

Questions to Reflect On

How do past debates shape today’s politics?
What lessons can modern societies learn?

A Different Perspective

Historical analogies can oversimplify.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 3.0 out of 5 (7 ratings)

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…

Steven Pinker

Image

Consistent style prevents presentation from getting in the way of content.

Steven Pinker

Image

The supposedly immaterial soul, we now know, can be bisected with a knife, altered by chemicals, started or stopped by electricity, and extinguished by…

Steven Pinker

Image

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…

Steven Pinker

Image

As many political writers have pointed out, commitment to political equality is not an empirical claim that people are clones.

Steven Pinker

Image

Since violence is largely a male pastime, cultures that empower women tend to move away from the glorification of violence and are less likely…

Steven Pinker

Image

When it comes to explaining human thought and behavior, the possibility that heredity plays any role at all still has the power to shock.…

Steven Pinker

Image

Morality is not just any old topic in psychology but close to our conception of the meaning of life. Moral goodness is what gives…

Steven Pinker

Image

“The biblical story of the binding of Isaac shows that human sacrifice was far from unthinkable in the 1st millennium BCE. The Israelites boasted…

Steven Pinker

Image

Part of the bargain of being alive is that one takes a chance at dying a premature or painful death, be it from violence,…

Steven Pinker

Image

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…

Steven Pinker

Image

“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…

Steven Pinker

Image

Explore all 495 Steven Pinker quotes

More American constitution quotes

The American Constitution declares 'All men are born equal.' The British Socialist Party add: 'All men must be kept equal'.

Winston Churchill

Image

For all the great dreams profitlessly invested in the digital computer, it is nonetheless true that not since the framers of the American Constitution…

David Berlinski

Image

The American Constitution, one of the few modern political documents drawn up by men who were forced by the sternest circumstances to think out…

George Bernard Shaw

Image

And I should like to assure you, my Islamic friends, that under the American Constitution, under American tradition, and in American hearts, this Center,…

Dwight D. Eisenhower

Image

[quoting someone else] the American constitution is a document designed by geniuses to be eventually interpreted by idiots

Joseph J. Ellis

Image

Two Soviets . . . were talking to each other. And one of them asked, "What's the difference between the Soviet Constitution and the…

Ronald Reagan

Image

In view of the tide of religiosity engulfing a once secular republic it is refreshing to be reminded by Freethinkers that free thought and…

Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr

Image

Anyone who says the American Constitution is obsolete just because social and economic conditions have changed does not understand the real genius of the…

W. Cleon Skousen