The Stuff of Thought: Language as a Window into Human Nature in Science and Inquiry

Mar 03, 2010 David Rubenstein rated it really liked it

Shelves: nonfiction, psychology, linguistics

I thoroughly enjoyed the chapter "Down the Rabbit Hole". I had never thought much about why certain grammatical constructions "sound OK", while others do not. Now I understand, and it is fascinating.

However, the chapter in which Pinker refutes the "nativity" hypothesis was entirely overdone. Why waste so much effort refuting an idea that is so obviously wrong? ...more

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Nov 03, 2009 David Cerruti rated it really liked it

See reviews by Trevor McCandless and MyFleshSingsOut.

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Jul 17, 2008 Heather rated it did not like it

Shelves: non-fiction, quit, library

This was WAY over my head. Had I read this back in grad school when I was studying Russian grammar in depth, I might have had a better chance of absorbing this. I got about 100 pages in and had no idea of what I'd read... Uncle. ...more

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Jul 10, 2009 Alissa Thorne rated it it was amazing

Shelves: about-the-mind, genre-nonfiction, is-sumptin-special, about-understanding-humans, about-language

This may well be the most rewarding nonfiction book I've read to date. The writing style is effortless and imaginative, making it a delight to read. But it is not just pleasant fluff--I found myself constantly astonished by the breadth and depth of the subject matter. I suppose it isn't shocking that a book on the topic of language and cognition would touch on a broad array of topics. Still, the variety of studies and disciplines that were referenced to support the thesis of the book kept it fre ...more

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Oct 12, 2011 Patricrk patrick rated it liked it

Shelves: science

Interesting but not a fun read. Had to break off a couple of times to reread some "fun" stuff. ...more

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Jun 26, 2008 Mary rated it really liked it

A really interesting read--especially the Chapters on Naming and Metaphor. If you are interested in language or the working of the mind, you would enjoy this book.

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