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sapinker's profile
Steven Pinker
Steven Pinker
Steven Pinker
Verified account
@sapinker

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Steven PinkerVerified account

@sapinker

Cognitive scientist at Harvard.

Boston, MA
pinker.wjh.harvard.edu
Joined January 2010

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    Steven Pinker‏Verified account @sapinker 13 Dec 2017

    Democracy ≠ referenda, which empower the ignorant and favor self-expression over analysis. Citizen juries are an interesting new alternative. (Would you rather be tried by a popular vote, or by a jury?)https://apolitical.co/brexit-vote-bungled-how-we-can-learn-from-australias-citizens-juries/ …

    7:28 AM - 13 Dec 2017
    • 57 Retweets
    • 147 Likes
    • CarfStrat Antonio Tintoré huan wang Daniel Bensen Sina Motamedi Amy Schiwitz Jazmin Perry Matt opuntia grandiflora
    30 replies 57 retweets 147 likes
      1. Old Whig‏ @aClassicLiberal 13 Dec 2017
        Replying to @sapinker

        the best working democracy in the world, the Swiss, uses referenda all the time to overturn bad government policy. #DirectDemocracy FTW!pic.twitter.com/CeFajAKBv6

        0 replies 2 retweets 7 likes
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      1. Alex‏ @YoungKushman 13 Dec 2017
        Replying to @sapinker

        Leave it to liberals to support an illiberal corrupt institution like the EU.

        0 replies 0 retweets 2 likes
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      1. New conversation
      2. k-s sirkka‏ @k272479 13 Dec 2017
        Replying to @sapinker

        Do you support democracy ... or just sometimes... when ‘wise’ enough ?

        1 reply 0 retweets 9 likes
      3. Abergavenny Intelligent Chat‏ @aber_int_chat 13 Dec 2017
        Replying to @k272479 @sapinker

        There are different types of democracy though. The word is thrown around all the time, without reflecting on the different types of democracy. We have more of a representative democracy rather than a direct democracy. We all need to be more specific. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democracy#Types_of_governmental_democracies …

        1 reply 0 retweets 1 like
      4. k-s sirkka‏ @k272479 14 Dec 2017
        Replying to @aber_int_chat @sapinker

        True ... and trusting other people to know better than you what You Want is ... stupid

        2 replies 0 retweets 0 likes
      5. Abergavenny Intelligent Chat‏ @aber_int_chat 14 Dec 2017
        Replying to @k272479 @sapinker

        Not really. Next time you go to a hospital, maybe non-experts should take over.

        3 replies 0 retweets 0 likes
      6. k-s sirkka‏ @k272479 14 Dec 2017
        Replying to @aber_int_chat @sapinker

        Aaahhhh you want a Enlightened Despot ;) Ok 👌 I don’t !

        1 reply 0 retweets 0 likes
      7. Abergavenny Intelligent Chat‏ @aber_int_chat 14 Dec 2017
        Replying to @k272479 @sapinker

        No. I want a country where all the people work to their strengths. Similar to how successful businesses and organisations work. You want a communist way of working.

        1 reply 0 retweets 0 likes
      8. k-s sirkka‏ @k272479 14 Dec 2017
        Replying to @aber_int_chat @sapinker

        Aahhh you oppose Democracy... you do know there is No democratic Businesses !?

        2 replies 0 retweets 0 likes
      9. Abergavenny Intelligent Chat‏ @aber_int_chat 14 Dec 2017
        Replying to @k272479 @sapinker

        No, I don't oppose democracy. Again, you confuse different types of democracy, which was a previous point I made.

        1 reply 0 retweets 0 likes
      10. 2 more replies
      1. New conversation
      2. Dan Levesque‏ @DanLevesq 13 Dec 2017
        Replying to @sapinker

        We're also severely lacking in democratic participation in the first place. Asking a yes or no question of people who have no idea what the question even means is NOT democracy... it's just stupid. Governments need to do more to inform and engage citizens.

        1 reply 0 retweets 2 likes
      3. 1 more reply
      1. Alex Athanassakos‏ @athanassakos 14 Dec 2017
        Replying to @sapinker

        I think you are confusing the principle of direct democracy with its actual implementation in a few cases. Should equality be thrown out because it failed in the Soviet Union? As for "analysis", is the 2003 Iraq invasion the one you had in mind?

        0 replies 0 retweets 1 like
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      1. Urashima Otaru‏ @UrashimaOtaru 13 Dec 2017
        Replying to @sapinker

        You are a fool.

        0 replies 0 retweets 1 like
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      1. Linguabrand‏ @linguabrand 13 Dec 2017
        Replying to @sapinker

        It's objectionable to say referendums empower the ignorant. You could say the same thing about any elections. And how do you define 'ignorant'? Not voting the 'right' way. Although generally higher educated, remain voters were no better informed on the EU than leave.

        0 replies 0 retweets 1 like
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      1. Harald‏ @equalitus 13 Dec 2017
        Replying to @sapinker

        I would rather that all of political economy and all criminal laws were tried by referendums. Why you de-emphasize majority and or plurality opinion? Because you don't really like the ballots?

        0 replies 0 retweets 1 like
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      1. Justin Painful Death 🗡 🗡‏ @crashfrog 13 Dec 2017
        Replying to @sapinker

        but isn't this an example of a citizen jury making the wrong decision?

        0 replies 0 retweets 1 like
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      1. Pineapple Head‏ @RobinsonRecluso 13 Dec 2017
        Replying to @sapinker

        The accusation that Brexit voters were "ignorant" is outrageous.

        0 replies 0 retweets 1 like
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      1. Steve Bennett‏ @properjob57 13 Dec 2017
        Replying to @sapinker

        I rather like this #nomoreferenda

        0 replies 0 retweets 1 like
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      1. Graduate Gammon‏ @Jon555648 13 Dec 2017
        Replying to @sapinker

        Does that mean the UK government should have ignored the 1975 referendum to be IN the EU?

        0 replies 0 retweets 1 like
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