--- product_id: 48453389 title: "The Stuff of Thought: Language as a Window into Human Nature" price: "€ 27.27" currency: EUR in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.pt/products/48453389-the-stuff-of-thought-language-as-a-window-into-human store_origin: PT region: Portugal --- # 450+ pages of deep linguistic insight Detailed analysis with 60 pages of references Explores language-cognition link The Stuff of Thought: Language as a Window into Human Nature **Price:** € 27.27 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Summary > 🧩 Crack the code of human nature through language mastery! ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** The Stuff of Thought: Language as a Window into Human Nature - **How much does it cost?** € 27.27 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.pt](https://www.desertcart.pt/products/48453389-the-stuff-of-thought-language-as-a-window-into-human) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Key Features - • **Join the Intellectual Elite:** Be part of the conversation shaping modern linguistics. - • **Dive into the Mind of Language:** Unlock how words shape human thought and identity. - • **Uncover Hidden Social Dynamics:** Explore why swearing, naming, and persuasion reveal our nature. - • **Master the Art of Communication:** Discover why metaphors can make or break reputations. - • **A Scholarly Yet Entertaining Read:** Dense research meets humor and real-life examples. ## Overview Steven Pinker's 'The Stuff of Thought' is a comprehensive, 450+ page exploration of how language reflects and shapes human cognition and social behavior. Combining rigorous research with humor and real-world examples, this book offers professionals a deep dive into the power of words to influence thought, identity, and society. ## Description In The Stuff of Thought: Language as a Window into Human Nature , Steven Pinker looks at how the relationship between words and thoughts can help us understand who we are. Why do so many swear words involve topics like sex, bodily functions or the divine? Why do some children's names thrive while others fall out of favour? Why do we threaten and bribe and seduce in such elaborate, often comical ways? How can a choice of metaphor damn a politician or start a war? And why do we rarely say what we actually mean? Language, as Steven Pinker shows, is at the heart of our lives, and through the way we use it - whether to inform, persuade, entertain or manipulate - we can glimpse the very essence of what makes us human. 'Awesome' Daily Mail 'Highly entertaining ... funny and thought-provoking' The Times 'Anyone interested in language should read The Stuff of Thought ... moments of genuine revelation and some very good jokes' Mark Haddon, Sunday Telegraph Books of the Year 'No one writes about language as clearly as Steven Pinker, and this is his best book yet' David Crystal, Financial Times Steven Pinker is the Johnstone Family Professor in the Department of Psychology at Harvard University. Until 2003, he taught in the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences at MIT. He conducts research on language and cognition, writes for publications such as The New York Times , Time and Slate , and is the author of six books, including The Language Instinct , How the Mind Works and The Blank Slate . Review: Great Value - An interesting read. Review: Thought's Clothing - Steven Pinker, The Stuff of Thought Steven Pinker in his Preface to this examination of language function warns the reader that `the early chapters occasionally dip into technical topics.' That puts it mildly, for this is such a thorough and detailed analysis of the thing that makes us human that one is tempted to use the term `exhaustive' - except that, as Pinker shows us, nothing in this world, including space, time and substance is exhaustive. Even one schooled in linguistic analysis would be sorely tested, though surely fascinated, by the author's exploration of how we acquire and use the tool that enables man to function in a world that without him makes no sense. With over 450 pages of closely argued and abundantly illustrated verbal and diagrammatical text the casual reader will inevitably struggle to keep afloat. The 60 pages of Notes, References and Index alone bear witness to the range of Steven Pinker's research. And if Pinker is not enough, the reader is invited to delve further into language theory - alphabetically from Abarbanell to Zwicky (yes, these are, I believe, real people) via Hume, Kant and Benjamin Lee Whorf. Mercifully, for the layman the book is replete with homely examples of language in daily use. Thus the author shows us that someone we call William Shakespeare, whatever scholarly dissenters may maintain, did write Hamlet, many other plays and 154 sonnets, that names do mean something. He concludes that names are `ways to identify unbroken chains of person-to-person transmission through time, anchored to a specific event of dubbing in the past.' I must confess to having recourse to the occasional re-reading of sentences like the above, but then I am not accustomed to thinking much about the relation between language and thought. Language is the essential tool we take for granted, but it has a history and a future, is volatile and an essential part of everyday existence, providing not only knowledge and information, but solace and humour. In which last this book abounds, despite the high seriousness of the topic; from known witticisms to strip cartoons this book is alive with fun and games: - Mother: `Would you like a piece of toast for breakfast?' Boy: `I'd rather have a whole one, thanks.' A middle-aged couple staring at a notice: `Please don't feed the duck.' He asks her if there isn't something strange about the notice. She asks why, so he begins to explain: `Well, "Duck" is singular. It seems if you don't want people feeding ducks, you'd make it plural: "Please do not feed the -" Final frame in the cartoon: QUACK! comes a voice from the pond. Focus on the notice. `Never mind,' says the man. ## Features - PENGUIN GROUP ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | 231,203 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) | | Customer Reviews | 4.3 out of 5 stars 466 Reviews | ## Images ![The Stuff of Thought: Language as a Window into Human Nature - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81HPGidX3LL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Great Value *by O***Y on 22 October 2019* An interesting read. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Thought's Clothing *by M***S on 29 August 2012* Steven Pinker, The Stuff of Thought Steven Pinker in his Preface to this examination of language function warns the reader that `the early chapters occasionally dip into technical topics.' That puts it mildly, for this is such a thorough and detailed analysis of the thing that makes us human that one is tempted to use the term `exhaustive' - except that, as Pinker shows us, nothing in this world, including space, time and substance is exhaustive. Even one schooled in linguistic analysis would be sorely tested, though surely fascinated, by the author's exploration of how we acquire and use the tool that enables man to function in a world that without him makes no sense. With over 450 pages of closely argued and abundantly illustrated verbal and diagrammatical text the casual reader will inevitably struggle to keep afloat. The 60 pages of Notes, References and Index alone bear witness to the range of Steven Pinker's research. And if Pinker is not enough, the reader is invited to delve further into language theory - alphabetically from Abarbanell to Zwicky (yes, these are, I believe, real people) via Hume, Kant and Benjamin Lee Whorf. Mercifully, for the layman the book is replete with homely examples of language in daily use. Thus the author shows us that someone we call William Shakespeare, whatever scholarly dissenters may maintain, did write Hamlet, many other plays and 154 sonnets, that names do mean something. He concludes that names are `ways to identify unbroken chains of person-to-person transmission through time, anchored to a specific event of dubbing in the past.' I must confess to having recourse to the occasional re-reading of sentences like the above, but then I am not accustomed to thinking much about the relation between language and thought. Language is the essential tool we take for granted, but it has a history and a future, is volatile and an essential part of everyday existence, providing not only knowledge and information, but solace and humour. In which last this book abounds, despite the high seriousness of the topic; from known witticisms to strip cartoons this book is alive with fun and games: - Mother: `Would you like a piece of toast for breakfast?' Boy: `I'd rather have a whole one, thanks.' A middle-aged couple staring at a notice: `Please don't feed the duck.' He asks her if there isn't something strange about the notice. She asks why, so he begins to explain: `Well, "Duck" is singular. It seems if you don't want people feeding ducks, you'd make it plural: "Please do not feed the -" Final frame in the cartoon: QUACK! comes a voice from the pond. Focus on the notice. `Never mind,' says the man. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ what a writer! *by A***R on 14 January 2022* what a writer! ## Frequently Bought Together - The Stuff of Thought: Language as a Window into Human Nature - The Language Instinct: How the Mind Creates Language - The Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.pt/products/48453389-the-stuff-of-thought-language-as-a-window-into-human](https://www.desertcart.pt/products/48453389-the-stuff-of-thought-language-as-a-window-into-human) --- *Product available on Desertcart Portugal* *Store origin: PT* *Last updated: 2026-07-10*