Top Sellers
The Selfish Gene
The Selfish Gene £3.58
Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan
Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan £5.49
QI: The Book of Animal Ignorance
QI: The Book of Animal Ignorance £2.89
The Origin of Species (Wordsworth Classics of World Literature)
The Origin of Species (Wordsworth Classics of World Literature) £0.75
The Dog Listener
The Dog Listener £3.58
A World Without Bees
A World Without Bees £6.56
On the Origin of Species: The Illustrated Edition
On the Origin of Species: The Illustrated Edition £9.98
Anatomy and Physiology for Dummies
Anatomy and Physiology for Dummies £9.28
AS Level Biology AQA A Revision Guide
AS Level Biology AQA A Revision Guide £8.39
The Drunkard's Walk: How Randomness Rules Our Lives
The Drunkard's Walk: How Randomness Rules Our Lives £12.99

The Stuff of Thought: Language as a Window into Human Nature

 
The Stuff of Thought: Language as a Window into Human Nature
   Author: Steven Pinker
By Allen Lane
Average Customer Rating: Average rating of 3.0/5

List Price: £25.00
Our Price: £14.96

more information about The Stuff of Thought: Language as a Window into Human Nature
Customer Reviews
Average rating of 1/5 Pointless, 2007-11-11
I can hardly believe that the same person who wrote "The Language Instinct" and "The Blank Slate" wrote this. At least half of the book is dedicated to a detailed division of words into minute catagories, in excruciating detail. This would be acceptable if there were a point, but no, its all academic deadwood, designed to put off as many would be semantic students as possible. I finished this book no wiser than before, with only a few anecdotes to the better.

Average rating of 5/5 Wonderful words, 2008-01-19
Pinker has done it again; another book of mesmerising intelligence and very smart ideas. But be warned: this book is not easy to digest, notwithstanding the lucidity of the writing. But then it deserves to be read very closely indeed: there is so much punch and weight on almost every page.

Pinker has already destroyed the simplistic notion that human nature is a social phenomenon, demonstrating how much of our behaviour and psychology is a product of our genetic evolution, and therefore instinctive.

In this book, he shows how language has evolved to reflect the mental concepts we have developed to make sense of the world: that is to say, although the real world may exist 'out there', it is mediated through our senses and the brain's interpretation of the data that they send to it. The concepts relate to time and space, matter and causality - and these concepts have been woven into our language. Pinker shows how, and does so in his characteristically enthusiastic, witty fashion.

A fabulous read and an intellectual treat.

Related Items of The Stuff of Thought: Language as a Window into Human Nature
Product Information
Binding: Hardcover
EAN: 9780713997415
ISBN: 0713997419
Label: Allen Lane
Manufacturer: Allen Lane
Number Of Pages: 512
Publication Date: 2007-09-27
Publisher: Allen Lane
Studio: Allen Lane
more information about The Stuff of Thought: Language as a Window into Human Nature
Headlines
  • Savings rates at record low
    Rate on a savings account have fallen to the lowest we have ever seen but rates of 5pc are still available.
  • New Look sparkles as festive sales rise
    New Look the private equityowned fashion retailer saw likeforlike sales rise by 2.8pc over the 14 weeks to January 3.
  • How to beat train fare increases
    Train fares have gone up in the new year with the cost of tickets rising by an average of 6pc.