Harvard Book Store welcomes 
Steven Pinker
―Johnstone Professor of Psychology at Harvard University, one of 
Time’s
 “100 Most Influential People in the World Today", and author of twelve books, including 
The Language Instinct
, 
How the Mind Works
, 
The Better Angels of Our Nature
, and 
Rationality
―for a discussion of his new book 
When Everyone Knows That Everyone Knows . . . : Common Knowledge and the Mysteries of Money, Power, and Everyday Life
. He will be joined in conversation by 
Danielle Allen
― James Bryant Conant University Professor at Harvard University, Director of the Allen Lab for Democracy Renovation at the Harvard Kennedy School, and Director of the Democratic Knowledge Project-Learn, a research lab focused on civic education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
Ticketing
There are two ticket options for this event. Following the presentation there will be a book signing.
1. 
Book-Included Ticket:
 Includes admission for one and one hardcover copy of 
When Everyone Knows That Everyone Knows
 pre-signed by Steven Pinker.
2. 
Admission-Only Ticket:
 Includes admission for one.
Note: Books bundled with tickets may only be picked up at the venue the night of the event, and cannot be picked up in-store beforehand. Ticket holders who purchased a book-included ticket and are unable to attend the event will be able to pick up their book at Harvard Book Store up to 30 days following the event. This offer expires after 30 days. Please note we cannot guarantee signed copies will be available to ticket holders who do not attend the event.
About 
When Everyone Knows That Everyone Knows
From one of the world’s most celebrated intellectuals, a brilliantly insightful work that explains how we think about each other’s thoughts about each other’s thoughts, ad infinitum. It sounds impossible, but Steven Pinker shows that we do it all the time. This awareness, which we experience as something that is public or “out there,” is called 
common knowledge
, and it has a momentous 
impact on our social, political, and economic lives
.
Common knowledge is necessary for 
coordination
, for making arbitrary but complementary choices like driving on the right, using paper currency, and coalescing behind a political leader or movement. It’s also necessary for 
social 
coordination: everything from rendezvousing at a time and place to speaking the same language to forming enduring relationships of friendship, romance, or authority. Humans have a sixth sense for common knowledge, and we create it with signals like laughter, tears, blushing, eye contact, and blunt speech.But people also go to great lengths to 
avoid 
common knowledge—to ensure that even if everyone knows something, they can’t know that everyone else knows they know it. And so we get rituals like benign hypocrisy, veiled bribes and threats, sexual innuendo, and pretending not to see the elephant in the room.Pinker shows how the hidden logic of common knowledge can make sense of many of life’s enigmas: financial bubbles and crashes, revolutions that come out of nowhere, the posturing and pretense of diplomacy, the eruption of social media shaming mobs and academic cancel culture, the awkwardness of a first date. Artists and humorists have long mined the intrigues of common knowledge, and Pinker liberally uses their novels, jokes, cartoons, films, and sitcom dialogues to illuminate social life’s tragedies and comedies. Along the way he answers questions like:
Why do people hoard toilet paper at the first sign of an emergency?
Why are Super Bowl ads filled with ads for crypto?
Why, in American presidential primary voting, do citizens typically select the candidate they believe is preferred by 
others
 rather than their favorite?
Why did Russian authorities arrest a protester who carried a blank sign?
Why is it so hard for nervous lovers to say goodbye at the end of a phone call?
Bios
Steven Pinker 
is the Johnstone Professor of Psychology at Harvard University. He has won many prizes for his teaching, his research on language, cognition, and social relations, and his twelve books, including 
The Language Instinct
, 
How the Mind Works
, 
The Better Angels of Our Nature
, and 
Rationality.
 He is an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences, a two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist, and one of 
Time
’s “100 Most Influential People in the World Today.”
Danielle Allen
 is James Bryant Conant University Professor at Harvard University. She is also Director of the 
Allen Lab for Democracy Renovation
 at the Harvard Kennedy School and Director of the 
Democra
tic Knowledge Project-Learn
, a research lab focused on civic education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She is a professor of political philosophy, ethics, and public policy as well as a seasoned nonprofit leader, democracy advocate, tech ethicist, distinguished author, and mom. She is a contributing columnist at 
The Atlantic Magazine 
and was the 2020 winner of the Library of Congress' Kluge Prize, which recognizes scholarly achievement in the disciplines not covered by the Nobel Prize. She received the Prize "for her internationally recognized scholarship in political theory and her commitment to improving democratic practice and civics education." Her many books also include the widely acclaimed 
Our Declaration: a reading of the Declaration of Independence in defense of equality
;
 Cuz: The Life and Times of Michael A.
; 
Democracy in the Time of Coronavirus
; and 
Justice by Means of Democracy
.
Masking Policy
Masks are encouraged but not required for this event.
Information Source: Harvard Book Store | eventbrite

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The University of Cambridge (Cambridge) is a leading research university based in Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England, using a traditional collegiate system.

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The University of Cambridge is the second-oldest university in the English-speaking world and the fourth-oldest surviving university in the world. Founded as a scholarly society in 1209, it boasts eight museums, a library system with over 15 million volumes, and the world&#39;s oldest publishing house, Cambridge University Press.

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Having a boat trip in Cambridge can give a good experience of punting on the River Cam and also get lots of interesting stories about each college at the University of Cambridge. However, the cost of it is quite expensive.

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Travel into Trinity College, Cambridge, with not only beautiful atriums and fountains, but also ancient libraries. The college, built by King Henry VIII of England, has been through the storm and has become one of the largest, most financially powerful and most reputable colleges in Cambridge University. Its deep academic heritage and remarkable historical status are unique and worth a visit.

King's College Chapel

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This is where the British king is crowned. Many members of the British royal family and aristocracy are buried here. The architecture is magnificent and worth a visit for those interested in European history and culture.

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Visit the &quot;Mathematical Bridge&quot; attraction at Cambridge University. The bridge cleverly connects the college buildings on both sides of the Jianhe River, which connects not only the physical bridge of the college, but also the history and modernity, and is worth a visit.

Time:	Sep 26, 2025 (UTC-4) ENDED
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