Podcast Summary: Office Hours with Arthur Brooks
Episode: 4 Ways to Use Common Knowledge to be Happier with Steven Pinker
Date: October 6, 2025
Host: Arthur Brooks
Guest: Steven Pinker
Overview
This episode delves into the nature of "common knowledge"—what it is, how it governs our relationships, societal norms, power dynamics, and even our pursuit of happiness. With Professor Steven Pinker, renowned cognitive psychologist and author, Arthur Brooks explores both the light and dark sides of common knowledge, from humor and love to dictatorship, cancel culture, and self-honesty. They break down strategies for using common knowledge to improve individual well-being and collective happiness.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Defining Common Knowledge
[01:01, 06:32]
- Steven Pinker's Definition:
"Common knowledge is when everyone knows that everyone knows something, and everyone knows that ad infinitum." - It is not equivalent to a shared consciousness or telepathy, but serves to synchronize individual consciousness within social contexts.
2. Common Knowledge Across Species
[07:04]
- While humans exhibit explicit, nuanced common knowledge, elements exist in the animal kingdom:
- Coral Example: All corals release eggs during the full moon, using a conspicuous public signal (the full moon) as a shortcut for synchronized action.
- Eye Contact: Used in multiple species as a threat or signal; in humans, it’s a crucial generator of common knowledge.
3. Humor and Common Knowledge
[08:24, 10:00]
- Laughter’s Social Role:
- “85% of laughter is not correlated with humor... it’s more of a social lubricant.” (Arthur Brooks, [08:24])
- Laughter “makes private knowledge common... it’s loud, staccato, unignorable.” (Pinker, [10:00])
- Observational and Self-Deprecating Humor: Both rely on common knowledge by making the implicit explicit, fostering connection and sometimes relieving social tensions.
4. Common Knowledge and Dictatorships
[12:32]
- Dictatorships actively work to suppress common knowledge among citizens to prevent collective uprising.
- “Dictators are terrified of common knowledge... they engage in censorship.” (Pinker)
- Public demonstration can convert private dissatisfaction into actionable common knowledge.
5. Psychological Politics of Kindness
[14:14]
- Kindness and Civility:
- The foundation of politeness: valuing another’s interests.
- Game theory and evolution: baseline kindness can lead to beneficial future reciprocation.
6. Cancel Culture, Academic Freedom, and Social Norms
[15:52, 18:19]
- Suppressing Dissent:
- Academic settings face issues similar to authoritarian regimes: fear of punishment for expressing dissenting views.
- Social and moral norms are enforced by “common knowledge”—what everyone believes everyone else will tolerate.
- “Pluralistic ignorance” and “spiral of silence” lock people into false expressions of belief due to fear of social penalty.
7. The Problem of “Collective Illusion”
[21:14, 22:29]
- People often misrepresent their private beliefs publicly—a mismatch that Steven Pinker relates to Todd Rose’s research on "collective illusion."
- Example: Students expressing more progressive views publicly than they actually hold privately.
- “Everyone believes that everyone else thinks something while no one thinks it.” (Pinker, [22:29])
8. Rationality and Human Nature
[24:53]
- Humans can be highly rational in daily life but irrational in dealing with large societal or historic questions, leading to susceptibility to myths and comforting stories over data and truth.
9. Practical Lessons: Four Rules for Common Knowledge and Happiness
[26:59–30:24] Arthur Brooks puts forth four ways to apply common knowledge for happiness; Pinker responds and adds nuance.
- 1. Use Common Knowledge to Deepen Love:
- Signals and rituals make love and connection explicit (“I love you”; small favors).
- 2. Use It as a Gift, Not a Weapon:
- Employ knowledge and truth for bonding, not harm.
- 3. Question False Common Knowledge:
- “Don’t be a sheep… challenge sacred myths.” (Brooks & Pinker)
- 4. Don’t Live in Fear; Don’t Lie to Yourself:
- While absolute fearlessness isn’t practical (“fear evolved for a reason”), strive for honest self-assessment and resist self-deception.
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
-
On Defining Common Knowledge:
- “Common knowledge is when everyone knows that everyone knows something...”
—Steven Pinker [01:01; 06:32]
- “Common knowledge is when everyone knows that everyone knows something...”
-
On Laughter and Social Connection:
- “85% of laughter is not correlated with humor... It’s really expressing common knowledge.”
—Arthur Brooks [08:24]
- “85% of laughter is not correlated with humor... It’s really expressing common knowledge.”
-
On Dictators and Suppression:
- "Dictators are terrified of common knowledge... They don't want people to bitch and moan publicly because collectively there's a lot of power."
—Steven Pinker [12:32]
- "Dictators are terrified of common knowledge... They don't want people to bitch and moan publicly because collectively there's a lot of power."
-
On Cancel Culture:
- "We can't do our jobs as researchers if we constantly have to worry about being punished, censored, ostracized, demonized, fired, which happens..."
—Steven Pinker [18:19]
- "We can't do our jobs as researchers if we constantly have to worry about being punished, censored, ostracized, demonized, fired, which happens..."
-
On Collective Illusion:
- “Everyone believes that everyone else thinks something while no one thinks it.”
—Steven Pinker [22:29]
- “Everyone believes that everyone else thinks something while no one thinks it.”
-
On Balanced Honesty:
- “You don't have to say everything you believe. Sometimes discretion is the better part of valor precisely because... you could be the boy who says the emperor is naked. That can work. It can also get you killed.”
—Steven Pinker [29:31]
- “You don't have to say everything you believe. Sometimes discretion is the better part of valor precisely because... you could be the boy who says the emperor is naked. That can work. It can also get you killed.”
Important Timestamps
| Time | Topic | |------------|------------------------------------------------------------------| | 01:01 | Pinker’s concise definition of common knowledge | | 07:04 | Common knowledge and communication in animal species | | 08:24 | Laughter as social lubricant and common knowledge indicator | | 10:00 | Humor’s role in making knowledge public | | 12:32 | How common knowledge suppresses or sparks resistance to regimes | | 14:14 | Kindness and its evolutionary role | | 15:52 | Academic freedom, cancel culture, and social norms | | 18:19 | Social science on norm enforcement and “canceling” | | 21:14 | Collective illusion and falsification of preference (Todd Rose) | | 22:29 | Abilene Paradox, pluralistic ignorance | | 24:53 | The uneasy coexistence of rationality and myth | | 26:59–30:24| Four happiness lessons using common knowledge |
Tone, Language, and Style
The conversation is warm, engaged, and collegial, layered with social science insights, light humor, and candid examples. Both speakers use analogies from psychology, neuroscience, and current events, rendering advanced concepts accessible to non-academics.
Takeaways for Listeners
- Common knowledge is a powerful force in both social connection and social repression: know how to use, recognize, and challenge it.
- Positive relationships require explicit signals and the sharing—gifting—of common knowledge.
- Fear and self-deception are barriers to both truthful social participation and happiness.
- Challenge perceived social consensus when it doesn’t match your honest understanding.
- Use truth, humor, and kindness as social glue, not as weapons.
For a deeper dive, listeners are encouraged to read Steven Pinker's new book, When Everyone Knows that Everyone: Common Knowledge and the Mysteries of Money, Power and Everyday Life.
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