Showing posts with label How the Mind Works. Show all posts
Showing posts with label How the Mind Works. Show all posts

Monday, December 10, 2007

Steven Pinker vs. Whatshisname Update

Some of you may have already noticed that the poll on "Who is more famous: Steven ('Mega famous Author of The Language Instinct and How the Mind Works') Pinker or Edwin [sic] ('Oh, What Have You Done for Me Lately?") Wilson?" has closed.
"Edwin Wilson"'s actual name is Edward Wilson, by the way. Despite our gaffe, he still won the poll.
Now, I have been researching how to calculate a statistical margin of error, and for this poll, ours is around 38%, and that's a best case scenario that assumes we took a random sampling of the population, which we did not.
Nonetheless, the folks at Ocean Moonshine have officially changed their opinion on the relative fames of Pinker and Wilson and removed the discussion of them referenced here.
I would also like to give a special shout-out to the one other person who voted for Steven Pinker. You really know what's what and who's who.

Monday, December 3, 2007

Steven Pinker and Edwin O. Wilson

More from the Ocean Moonshine site:

Ocean Moonshine's site has an extensive discussion of possible mistypes (click on any of the types and possible mistypes with every other type discussed.) Here is what he says about distinguishing the 5 from the 3:

Intellectual Threes can sometimes mistype or be mistyped as Fives. The
sociobiologist Steven Pinker is an example of this. But contrast his open,
expansive, self-promoting style with that of E.O.Wilson (his fellow
sociobiologist at Harvard University) in order to recognize the difference.
Wilson, a Five, is self-effacing and almost shy in person, although he is as
certain of his ideas as is the more famous Pinker. In general, Threes are more
self-confident, optimistic, image conscious and socially competent than are
Fives. Fives tend to be more intellectually innovative, personally
idiosyncratic, reclusive and emotionally sensitive than Threes.

Good stuff. The only part of this that surprises me is ... the assertion that Steven Pinker is more famous than Edwin O. Wilson. I am posting a poll where you can vote. Choose between: Steven Pinker is more famous, Edwin O. Wilson is more famous, or I have never heard of either of them. If you have heard of both of them, choose one as being the more famous. Go with your gut. If you've only heard of one, obviously, the choice is easy.

Meanwhile, I'd like to recommend the book How the Mind Works by Steven Pinker. Fascinating. It changed my thinking. If you are an Enneagram enthusiast, I imagine you are interested in how the mind works.