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When Everyone Knows by Steven Pinker

When Everyone Knows by Steven Pinker

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About This Event

The London Science and Philosophy Book Club meets at Middle Eight in London to discuss a book by Steven Pinker. Groups focus on specific chapters or main ideas during the session.

In this event, we will discuss about a science or philosophy book chosen by London Science and Philosophy Book Club. The attendees will be divided into groups and each of them will focus on a chapter or one of the main ideas in the book. This month we will discuss about a fascinating book called When Everyone Knows That Everyone Knows by Steven Pinker. If you haven't read the book, it's no problem. I will bring you up to speed with the discussion materials. We will meet in a nice lounge area at 6 p.m for introductions. Please come on time so you will not miss out on valuable discussion midway. If you end up in the waitlist, feel free to show up. Book Description: As a cognitive scientist, the ultimate subject of Steven Pinker’s fascination is how we think 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, Pinker shows, can make sense of many of life’s enigmas: financial bubbles and crashes, revolutions that come out of nowhere, the posturing and pretence of diplomacy, the eruption of social media shaming mobs and academic cancel culture, the awkwardness of a first date. 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. In exploring the paradoxes of human behaviour, When Everyone Knows that Everyone Knows… invites us to understand the ways we try to get into each other’s heads, and the harmonies, hypocrisies, and outrages that result. Agenda 6 p.m to 7 p.m: Introduction and Socializing 7 p.m to 9:30 p.m: Book Discussion 9:30 p.m to late night: Drinks,

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Check-in: Saturday, 7 November 2026
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Frequently asked questions

When Everyone Knows by Steven Pinker takes place on Saturday, 7 November 2026 at 18:00.

When Everyone Knows by Steven Pinker is held at Middle Eight in London (66 Great Queen Street, London, WC2B 5BX).

Yes — hotels within walking distance of Middle Eight can be compared using the accommodation search further down this page.

Tickets for When Everyone Knows by Steven Pinker can be booked via meetup.com using the "Check Tickets & Live Prices" button on this page, which opens the official booking site in a new tab.