’Once a field becomes protected from criticism on moral grounds, it completely loses its “self-correcting” empirical anchor and begins to drift further from reality.’
What happens to social progress when disagreement is treated as a form of harm?
In “The Continuing Denial of Human Nature,” Colin Wright revisits Steven Pinker’s seminal work The Blank Slate to explore why the role of biology in shaping our bodies and minds remains so controversial.
In Thinkable Review’s latest article, Nick Enfield explores why no idea should be beyond criticism.
Jonathan Rauch’s sceptical rule means that “no idea can ever have any claim to be exempt from criticism by anyone,” writes Nick Enfield. “Therefore, we should always allow critique of those claims to be heard.”
Introducing the Thinkable Founders Circle : a private, year-round community for people who want to go beyond the stage and get closer to the ideas, people and conversations that matter.
Think intimate speaker dinners. Year-round gatherings. Early access to Thinkable events. Member-only pricing. And a deliberately small circle of people who are curious about the world and each other.
Our North American tour with Steven Pinker has officially come to a close!
From New York, Boston, Chicago and San Francisco to Montreal and Toronto, it was incredible to see so many people come together to explore ideas, challenge assumptions and ask thoughtful questions.
A huge thank you to everyone who joined us, to our brilliant hosts for helping shape each evening, and especially to Steven Pinker for sharing his insight and generosity with audiences across the tour.
We’re grateful to everyone who made this journey so memorable.
What if you could finally finish the things you keep putting off?
What if being distracted wasn’t a personality trait, but a problem you could actually solve?
This December, join bestselling author Nir Eyal for an evening of powerful conversations about attention, habits, technology and designing a life that isn’t controlled by distraction.
🇦🇺 Brisbane City Hall - 1 December 🇦🇺 Melbourne, Plenary Theatre - 3 December 🇦🇺 Sydney Town Hall - 4 December
Your attention is your life. Choose what gets it.
🎟️ Head to thinkable.events to get your tickets now!
Two words that can disarm almost any insult: "say that again."
Jefferson Fisher taught our Thinkable audience this one live, and you could see people mentally filing it away for their next family dinner. Most belittling comments are designed to be said once, land hard, and move on before anyone can respond. Asking the person to repeat it removes that entire advantage.
Suddenly they have to say the insult slowly, out loud, a second time, without the cover of momentum. Fisher's observation is that most people either soften it on the repeat or realise how it sounds and back off entirely. Either way, you never raised your voice.
It's a small trick built on a bigger idea: you don't need a clever comeback to hold your ground. Sometimes you just need to remove the emotional payoff the other person was counting on.
Would "say that again" actually stop you in the moment, or is the instinct to fire back too strong?
If your boundary has never upset anyone, it might not actually be a boundary.
That's the idea Jefferson Fisher left us with after his Thinkable show, and it's been rattling around our office ever since. His claim: "Their discomfort over your boundary is not a sign that it's wrong. It's a sign that it's working."
Most of us are taught the opposite: that a good boundary should land softly, please everyone, cause no friction at all. Fisher argues that's backwards. Real boundaries cost something. If the other person adjusts without any resistance, you probably weren't asking for much in the first place.
It reframes the guilt a lot of people feel the moment they see someone react badly to being told no.
Where's the line for you: is discomfort proof a boundary is fair, or proof it's gone too far?
Someone is rude to you. What you do in the next ten seconds decides who wins.
Jefferson Fisher demonstrated this live during his Thinkable tour stop, and the room went completely silent watching him do it. Most people get this moment backwards: the instinct is to fire something back immediately. Fisher's advice is the opposite. Say nothing. Let the silence sit for an uncomfortable ten seconds. Then, if you speak at all, say only this: "That's below my standard for response."
No raised voice or matching their energy. Simply a line that draws the boundary without ever crossing into their fight.
His reasoning is that silence can't be misquoted, twisted, or used against you later. The person who reacts instantly hands the other person exactly what they wanted.
Would you be able to hold that silence, or would the words come out before you could stop them?
Thinkable
’Once a field becomes protected from criticism on moral grounds, it completely loses its “self-correcting” empirical anchor and begins to drift further from reality.’
What happens to social progress when disagreement is treated as a form of harm?
In “The Continuing Denial of Human Nature,” Colin Wright revisits Steven Pinker’s seminal work The Blank Slate to explore why the role of biology in shaping our bodies and minds remains so controversial.
Read the full piece below :
thinkablereview.substack.com/p/the-continuing-deni…
10 hours ago |[YT] | 1
View 0 replies
Thinkable
In Thinkable Review’s latest article, Nick Enfield explores why no idea should be beyond criticism.
Jonathan Rauch’s sceptical rule means that “no idea can ever have any claim to be exempt from criticism by anyone,” writes Nick Enfield. “Therefore, we should always allow critique of those claims to be heard.”
🔗 Read the full article: thinkablereview.substack.com/p/creating-a-tribe-of…
14 hours ago |[YT] | 1
View 0 replies
Thinkable
Trump’s presidency. The decisions, the power struggles, the stories the world couldn’t look away from.
Now, get the inside story.
An Evening with Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan comes to Australia & NZ in July 2027!
🎟️ Five cities. Tickets: thinkable.events
5 days ago |[YT] | 2
View 0 replies
Thinkable
Some conversations are worth being closer to.
Introducing the Thinkable Founders Circle : a private, year-round community for people who want to go beyond the stage and get closer to the ideas, people and conversations that matter.
Think intimate speaker dinners. Year-round gatherings. Early access to Thinkable events. Member-only pricing. And a deliberately small circle of people who are curious about the world and each other.
Limited to 20 Founding Fellows in each city.
Applications are now open.
Want to become a Founding Fellow? Apply via thinkable.events/founders-circle
#Thinkable #FoundersCircle #australia
2 weeks ago |[YT] | 5
View 0 replies
Thinkable
Sydney is officially SOLD OUT.
Richard Dawkins is bringing 50 Years of The Selfish Gene to Australia & New Zealand this November, and seats are already going fast.
With Sydney gone, don’t wait for your city to be next.
📍 Brisbane • Adelaide • Melbourne • Perth • Auckland • Wellington
Comment DAWKINS and we’ll send you the direct ticket link.
🎟️ Tickets available via thinkable.events
#RichardDawkins #Australia #NewZealand #events
2 weeks ago |[YT] | 8
View 0 replies
Thinkable
Six cities. One unforgettable conversation.
Our North American tour with Steven Pinker has officially come to a close!
From New York, Boston, Chicago and San Francisco to Montreal and Toronto, it was incredible to see so many people come together to explore ideas, challenge assumptions and ask thoughtful questions.
A huge thank you to everyone who joined us, to our brilliant hosts for helping shape each evening, and especially to Steven Pinker for sharing his insight and generosity with audiences across the tour.
We’re grateful to everyone who made this journey so memorable.
See what’s next at thinkable.events
3 weeks ago |[YT] | 11
View 0 replies
Thinkable
What if you could finally finish the things you keep putting off?
What if being distracted wasn’t a personality trait, but a problem you could actually solve?
This December, join bestselling author Nir Eyal for an evening of powerful conversations about attention, habits, technology and designing a life that isn’t controlled by distraction.
🇦🇺 Brisbane City Hall - 1 December
🇦🇺 Melbourne, Plenary Theatre - 3 December
🇦🇺 Sydney Town Hall - 4 December
Your attention is your life. Choose what gets it.
🎟️ Head to thinkable.events to get your tickets now!
1 month ago |[YT] | 4
View 0 replies
Thinkable
Two words that can disarm almost any insult: "say that again."
Jefferson Fisher taught our Thinkable audience this one live, and you could see people mentally filing it away for their next family dinner. Most belittling comments are designed to be said once, land hard, and move on before anyone can respond. Asking the person to repeat it removes that entire advantage.
Suddenly they have to say the insult slowly, out loud, a second time, without the cover of momentum. Fisher's observation is that most people either soften it on the repeat or realise how it sounds and back off entirely. Either way, you never raised your voice.
It's a small trick built on a bigger idea: you don't need a clever comeback to hold your ground. Sometimes you just need to remove the emotional payoff the other person was counting on.
Would "say that again" actually stop you in the moment, or is the instinct to fire back too strong?
#Confidence #StandUpForYourself #Communication #JeffersonFisher
1 month ago |[YT] | 12
View 1 reply
Thinkable
If your boundary has never upset anyone, it might not actually be a boundary.
That's the idea Jefferson Fisher left us with after his Thinkable show, and it's been rattling around our office ever since. His claim: "Their discomfort over your boundary is not a sign that it's wrong. It's a sign that it's working."
Most of us are taught the opposite: that a good boundary should land softly, please everyone, cause no friction at all. Fisher argues that's backwards. Real boundaries cost something. If the other person adjusts without any resistance, you probably weren't asking for much in the first place.
It reframes the guilt a lot of people feel the moment they see someone react badly to being told no.
Where's the line for you: is discomfort proof a boundary is fair, or proof it's gone too far?
#Boundaries #SelfWorth #MentalHealth #JeffersonFisher
1 month ago |[YT] | 2
View 0 replies
Thinkable
Someone is rude to you. What you do in the next ten seconds decides who wins.
Jefferson Fisher demonstrated this live during his Thinkable tour stop, and the room went completely silent watching him do it. Most people get this moment backwards: the instinct is to fire something back immediately. Fisher's advice is the opposite. Say nothing. Let the silence sit for an uncomfortable ten seconds. Then, if you speak at all, say only this: "That's below my standard for response."
No raised voice or matching their energy. Simply a line that draws the boundary without ever crossing into their fight.
His reasoning is that silence can't be misquoted, twisted, or used against you later. The person who reacts instantly hands the other person exactly what they wanted.
Would you be able to hold that silence, or would the words come out before you could stop them?
#Boundaries #SelfRespect #EmotionalIntelligence #JeffersonFisher
2 months ago |[YT] | 10
View 0 replies
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