Steven Pinker Quotes
The connections I draw between human nature and political systems in my new book, for example, were prefigured in the debates during the Enlightenment and during the framing of the American Constitution.
Pinker, Steven. "Biology vs. the Blank Slate." Interview by Ronald Bailey. Reason, 28 Aug. 2002.
The words “extensive empire” imply that Jefferson who doubled the size of the United States with the Louisiana Purchase was thinking of a nation that spanned the continent and was happy with the fact that the Constitution did not obstruct the addition of additional states and territories.
Actually Adams had used the phrase in 1774 writing in the Massachusetts Gazette under the pseudonym Novanglus. See James Harrington related quotes for an earlier similar expression for which Adams is sometimes credited.
The English Constitution is not as binding on the English government as is the Amercan Constitution. In the English system, the government in power can override the constitution although the rarely do so out of respect for the system. In America, the Constitution is much more controlling and hence would be seen to count for more. In many third world countries, the ruler can “suspend” the constitution in a national emergency.
Steven Arthur Pinker is a Canadian-American cognitive psychologist, linguist, and popular science author. He is an advocate of evolutionary psychology and the computational theory of mind.
