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The Stuff of Thought
Language as a Window into Human Nature
By: Steven Pinker
Narrated by: John Chancer
Length: 21 hrs and 26 mins
4.5 out of 5 stars (41 ratings)

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The Stuff of Thought

Name: The Stuff of Thought
Brand: Penguin Audio
SKU: BK_PAUK_002155UK
Availability: InStock
Rating: 4.487804878048781 (41 reviews)

By: Steven Pinker

Narrated by: John Chancer

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Summary

Brought to you by Penguin.

In The Stuff of Thought: Language as a Window into Human Nature, Steven Pinker looks at how the relationship between words and thoughts can help us understand who we are.

Why do so many swear words involve topics like sex, bodily functions or the divine? Why do some children's names thrive while others fall out of favour? Why do we threaten and bribe and seduce in such elaborate, often comical ways? How can a choice of metaphor damn a politician or start a war? And why do we rarely say what we actually mean?

Language, as Steven Pinker shows, is at the heart of our lives, and through the way we use it - whether to inform, persuade, entertain or manipulate - we can glimpse the very essence of what makes us human.