The Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature Reprint Edition, Kindle Edition

by Steven Pinker (Author)

381 customer reviews

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A brilliant inquiry into the origins of human nature from the author of The Better Angels of Our Nature and the forthcoming Enlightenment Now

"Sweeping, erudite, sharply argued, and fun to read..also highly persuasive." -Time

Now updated with a new afterword

One of the world's leading experts on language and the mind explores the idea of human nature and its moral, emotional, and political colorings. With characteristic wit, lucidity, and insight, Pinker argues that the dogma that the mind has no innate traits-a doctrine held by many intellectuals during the past century-denies our common humanity and our individual preferences, replaces objective analyses of social problems with feel-good slogans, and distorts our understanding of politics, violence, parenting, and the arts. Injecting calm and rationality into debates that are notorious for ax-grinding and mud-slinging, Pinker shows the importance of an honest acknowledgment of human nature based on science and common sense.

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Product details

File Size: 4400 KB
Print Length: 525 pages
Page Numbers Source ISBN: 014027605X
Publisher: Penguin Books; Reprint edition (August 26, 2003)
Publication Date: August 26, 2003
Language: English
ASIN: B000QCTNIM
Text-to-Speech: Enabled

X-Ray:

Not Enabled

Word Wise: Enabled
Lending: Not Enabled
Screen Reader: Supported

Enhanced Typesetting: Enabled

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Jerry Stevens

Pinker Slaps B.F. Skinner

March 26, 2013

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

There can be little doubt that Stephen Pinker is correct in his well written book. The "slate" is not blank. However, he left open the wasteland between genetic influenced behavior and what we actually are. I give four stars and not five because I feel this brilliant man with his extensive background could have contributed more to our understanding concerning human nature; what E.O.Wilson refers to as 'consilience'. He cited studies on variable classes of twins indicates a high degree of inheritable behavior but down plays immediate family hence nurture yet vaguely refers to peer pressure, as if peer pressure does not originate in family. He slaps at Skinner reward and punishment schemes but suggests no alternative. I would love to know what he would suggest the answer might be even if it is not yet hard science.

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themeyergroup

the Blank Slate

November 2, 2012

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

I've been a student of Anthropology for many years. My career was working with young people and their families. I always understood that culture was a potent force in all our lives but I also knew there was something more. Steven Pinker's book gave form and substance to my experiences. We are evolved creatures and our innate human nature has evolved with us. We ignore our nature at our peril.

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sam

modern perspective

April 12, 2014

Format: Audio CDVerified Purchase

very modern perspective on what influences us as humans. Steven Pinker explores biology, cognition, evolutionary theory, and data on social aspects. Steve also quotes many modern and archaic thinkers with perspective and critique.

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brenda boehnert

THE MASTER AT WORK AGAIN.

April 8, 2014

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Every chapter is a gem. And his noted authors form another up-to- date excellent bibliography. He writes of complexity so clearly.

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Robert T. Neely

Human nature on parade

January 9, 2014

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Pinker is intelligent and writes beautifully. He does not hesitate to tackle the most esoteric and difficult subjects with energy. He does point out that modern living is sometimes apart from more basic instincts and presidispositions. I am not sure that he advocates a return to certain base principles so much as an acknowledgment of their presence in all of us. This consitutes, I believe, a kind of psychiatric back-to-basics exercise which is most helpful. Read it, and tell me what you think.

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Marcia Popp

The End Game of Empiricism

January 10, 2003

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

Professor Laudan has pointed out that rather than being the replacement for empiricism, the now common relativistic view of scientific conclusions is actually the end game of empiricism. In the Blank Slate,
Professor Pinker argues that the famous tabula rasa notion is at the heart of empiricism; moreover, he argues that the thesis that all scientific concepts are nothing more than social constructions is itself an expression of empiricism's basic principle. He then submits an analysis of this view, in all of its manifestations, that reveals its untenability as an epistemological theory or a basis for social policy. Not to know the arguments that Pinker presents in this book, whether one accepts them or not, illegitimates one's participation in further discourse on these matters.
This book is certainly required reading for those scholars interested in philosophy of education, my own area of concern. Going even further, I would say that anyone interested in any aspect of educational theory should read this book.
Jerome Popp, Professor Emeritus
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville

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James D. Williams

Required Reading

May 4, 2003

Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase

I found Pinker's previous books (The Language Instinct and How the Mind Works) to be too closely linked to Chomskian views on language, so I was prepared to dislike The Blank Slate a great deal. Imagine my surpise, then, when I discovered a book that is not only amazingly readable but remarkably researched. Pinker uses the debate over whether humans are influenced primarily by nature or by nuture to tackle the most important questions facing us today: Why are humans prone to violence? Is reality simply a social construct? Are gender roles socially determined? Why is intelligence, like height and hair color, largely hereditary? Why has liberalism become obsolete? The answers will astonish many people and anger many others who cannot move beyond their wishful thinking about the human condition. Are there some problems in Pinker's analysis? Yes. His discussion of connectionism, for example, seems sadly uninformed, sometimes even confused. However, overall, this book is insightful and well written. It should be required reading for everyone over the age of 15.

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T. Lorz

Great Insights

March 28, 2011

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Steven Pinker walks the reader through evolutionary psychology, genetics and hereditability and shows us that we have a lot of pre-programming before we ever take our first breath. He carefully dissects twin studies that show that twins separated at birth have remarkable similarities and children that are adopted are more like their biological parents than their adoptive parents and helps the reader to understand why.

At first the book can be unnerving. Each of us feels like we are the masters of our destiny, some some preprogrammed animal. But as you move through the book you will gain a better understanding of yourself and your already in place personality preferences and propensities and will see that your time is best spent working with your programming instead of denying and fighting it.

Terri Jo Lorz

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Most recent customer reviews

Haim

Science vs Superstition

Important scientific corrective to the current politically correct insanity. And, Pinker's writing is clear and approachable, and sometimes even humorous.

Published 7 days ago

Bernard R. Levine

What's the point?

Pinker brings to bear two thousand years of Talmudic disputation technique in a ludicrously convoluted attempt to trick the Progressive elite into abandoning the intellectual...Read more

Published 17 days ago

whj

the complexity of human nature, worthy material for discussions.

The author bravely discusses the topic of blank slate, its history, controversies, its broad influences on culture, science, education, politics and so on and so forth.Read more

Published 26 days ago

Anand Natrajan

Five Stars

Item is exactly as described.

Published 1 month ago

Violet L. Weinberg

Must read

Always, always great education........anything he writes.

Published 2 months ago

andrew macdonald

Five Stars

Great root thinking.

Published 2 months ago

Amazon Customer

school

Published 3 months ago

Hansrogn

but a bit boring.

Interesting, but a bit boring.

Published 3 months ago

LilyCorvus

In Defence of Genetics

For me, Children, chapter 19 (25 in the Audible edition) is the veritable money shot in this book.

Pinker, a consummate Humanist, provides much backing to his thesis...Read more

Published 3 months ago

wthomas

I really liked this book

I really liked this book. I thought it was well presented and didn't belabor the point. Lots of great insights with well referenced points. I definitely recommend this book.

Published 4 months ago

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