167. The Secret of Humanity? It’s Common Knowledge.

In this episode of "People I Mostly Admire," Steve Levitt interviews Harvard linguist Steven Pinker about his book "When Everyone Knows That Everyone Knows," exploring the concept of common knowledge and its fundamental role in human interaction, economics, and society. Pinker explains how common knowledge, the understanding that everyone knows something and knows that everyone else knows it, influences behaviors ranging from veiled communication to economic phenomena like bank runs and speculative investing. The conversation also delves into the psychology behind coordination, the evolutionary basis of social signals like blushing and crying, and the challenges to academic freedom and the rise of cancel culture, with both Levitt and Pinker sharing personal experiences and concerns about the current state of intellectual discourse and societal progress. The episode concludes with a listener question about COVID-19 vaccine development, which is answered by Steve Levitt.