Alison Gopnik

Alison Gopnik is a TED speaker who has written 1 quality-verified book, paired here with their talk.

What’s it really like to see through the eyes of a child? Are babies and young children just empty, irrational vessels to be formed into little adults, until they become the perfect images of ourselves? On the contrary, argues Alison Gopnik, professor of psychology and philosophy at the University of California at Berkeley. The author of The Philosophical Baby, The Scientist in the Crib and other influential books on cognitive development, Gopnik presents evidence that babies and children are conscious of far more than we give them credit for, as they engage every sense and spend every waking moment discovering, filing away, analyzing and acting on information about how the world works. Gopnik’s work draws on psychological, neuroscientific, and philosophical developments in child development research to understand how the human mind learns, how and why we love, our ability to innovate, as well as giving us a deeper appreciation for the role of parenthood. She says: "What's it like to be a baby? Being in love in Paris for the first time after you've had 3 double espressos."

TED talks by Alison Gopnik

Books by Alison Gopnik

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Frequently asked questions

What books has Alison Gopnik written?

Alison Gopnik has written 1 book in the Books Worth Reading catalogue: "Words, thoughts, and theories". It is quality-verified and paired with their TED talk.

What does Alison Gopnik write about?

Alison Gopnik's books on Books Worth Reading cover Science & Technology.

What is Alison Gopnik known for?

Alison Gopnik fundamentally challenges our understanding of childhood by revealing that young children are not passive recipients waiting to be molded, but rather sophisticated thinkers actively making sense of their world. As a professor of psychology and philosophy at UC Berkeley, Gopnik brings in...

What is Alison Gopnik's TED talk?

Alison Gopnik's TED talk is "What do babies think?" (2011). It is paired with their book on Books Worth Reading.