
José González: Against the Dying of the Light (Enlightenment Values with Steven Pinker)
From Sing for Science by Talkhouse
March 18, 2026 · 56 min
About this episode
José González and Steven Pinker discuss the themes of the song 'Against the Dying of the Light' and its connections to Enlightenment values.
Humanist Heavyweight Steven Pinker joins José González to unpack “Against the Dying of the Light,” a song inspired in part by Pinker’s book, Enlightenment Now. Together they explore Enlightenment values, human nature, progress, algorithms, anger, AI, and whether reason, science, and empathy can still help us push back against darkness.
People in this episode
Host: José González
Guest: Steven Pinker
Topics covered
- Enlightenment values
- human nature
- progress
- AI
- reason
- science
- empathy
Keywords
- José González
- Steven Pinker
- Enlightenment values
- human nature
- progress
- AI
- empathy
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: Against the Dying of the Light, Enlightenment Now
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