Steven Pinker Explores How Dictators Fear Common Knowledge
Cognitive psychologist Steven Pinker delves into the reasons behind authoritarian governments' suppression of public expression in his upcoming book, "When Everyone Knows That Everyone Knows..." (Scribner, 2025). He argues that these regimes fear the emergence of "common knowledge" that could lead to organized opposition, drawing parallels with "The Emperor's New Clothes" and a Soviet anecdote about blank leaflets indicating dissatisfaction. Pinker examines concepts like "pluralistic ignorance" and the "spiral of silence" in autocratic settings, highlighting that public protests can foster common knowledge and ignite revolutions, as evidenced by over 150 nonviolent uprisings in the 20th and 21st centuries. He references Erica Chenoweth's findings, which show a 51% success rate for nonviolent resistance, despite recent declines due to government censorship. Activists often resort to creative tactics to challenge authorities.
Key facts
- Steven Pinker's new book 'When Everyone Knows That Everyone Knows...' is forthcoming from Scribner in 2025.
- The excerpt was published in Persuasion, a nonprofit publication.
- Pinker uses 'The Emperor's New Clothes' to illustrate the concept of common knowledge.
- He cites a Soviet joke about a man distributing blank leaflets to generate common knowledge.
- Pinker argues that dictators suppress speech to prevent coordination among citizens.
- Erica Chenoweth's research shows nonviolent resistance has a 51% success rate versus 25% for violent campaigns.
- China employs tens of thousands of censors to remove posts that could coordinate action.
- In 2022, Russian police arrested a woman for holding a blank sign.
- Pinker is Johnstone Professor of Psychology at Harvard.
- The excerpt discusses the decline in success of nonviolent campaigns due to the 'dictator's learning curve'.
Entities
Artists
- Steven Pinker
- Hans Christian Andersen
- Mao Zedong
- Gandhi
- Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
- Erica Chenoweth
Institutions
- Harvard
- Scribner
- Simon & Schuster
- Persuasion
- KGB
Locations
- Moscow
- Russia
- China
- Belarus
- India
- Soviet Union