Where to start with Steven Pinker

Steven Pinker is a cognitive scientist, writer and public intellectual. But such a description understates the breadth and depth of his interests. His research and popular writing span a number of areas that include perception, language acquisition, genetics, evolutionary psychology and political science.

His books dive into the intricacies of research in each area – the patterns in irregular verbs, the declines in casualties from war – and connect the threads in the process: how our use of verbs reflects our understanding of the world, how democracies affect our common knowledge. The result is a bibliography filled with insight and reflection, and conveyed in his characteristic tone: congenial, precise and inspiring. Here's how to get started with it: