The Blank Slate

The Modern Denial of Human Nature

Steven Pinker

Recommended By

Book Synopsis

"The Blank Slate" by Steven Pinker explores the notion of human nature and the ongoing debate surrounding it. Pinker argues against the idea of a blank slate, positing that humans are not born as blank slates with their minds empty and ready to be shaped solely by their environment.

In this thought-provoking book, Pinker challenges the theories of cultural determinism, blank slateism, and social constructivism. He argues that humans have innate predispositions and tendencies shaped by evolutionary processes, genetics, and brain wiring. Pinker delves into an array of topics, including language acquisition, aggression, morality, and gender identity, demonstrating how these behaviors and characteristics have roots in our biological makeup.

Pinker draws upon various disciplines such as neuroscience, genetics, and psychology to provide a comprehensive analysis of the concept of human nature. He also refutes the notion that acknowledging human nature leads to deterministic outcomes or justifies certain societal inequalities.

Through accessible and engaging prose, Pinker presents a compelling case for understanding the importance of human nature and how it influences our behavior and our society. "The Blank Slate" invites readers to reconsider widely-held beliefs about the malleability of human beings, offering a fresh perspective on the complex interplay between biology and culture in shaping the human experience.

Explore More Books

See All
The Essays of Schopenhauer
Margaret Thatcher: Herself Alone
Blue Ocean Strategy
Prelude to Foundation
Tipping Points
Bitcoin
Unstoppable Prosperity
Matthew Barney & Elizabeth Peyton
Think and Grow Rich
Metamagical Themas
Why We Sleep
Rich Woman
From Galileo to Newton
Against The World
The Meaning of It All
Keeping At It
White Working Class
Deep Learning
No Filter
The Inner Lives of Markets
Limping on Water
Win Your Inner Battles
The Aspirational Investor
A History of the Theory of Investments
Architects of the Web
Fundamentals of Plasma Physics
Private Truths, Public Lies
The Big Test
String Theory
Courage
Crucial Conversations
Mistakes Were Made (But Not By Me)
Washington
Stumbling on Happiness
The Meaning of Human Existence
Brave New World
Antifragile
Quality of Earnings
The Death of the Artist
The Skeptical Environmentalist
Seveneves
Democracy: The God That Failed
Founders at Work
The Constitutional Convention
The One Thing
Rich Dad's Cashflow Quadrant
The Bullish Case for Bitcoin
The Power of Now
How To Decide
The Prince
Joe Beef
The Innovators Dilemma
The Harder You Work, The Luckier You Get
The Greedy Bastard Diary
Shoe Dog
Facing Love Addiction
A Short History of Nearly Everything
Mindfulness
Against Empathy
Death Rattle
The Coming Wave
The Harmless People
When Money Dies
Lasker's Manual of Chess
Mind-Body Problem
The Wealth of Nations
Chess Fundamentals
Bull!
Three Blind Mice
The Art of War in the Middle Ages
The Gun Seller
True Believer
Daemon
A Brief History of Intelligence
The Autobiography of Gucci Mane
Measure What Matters
Confidence Game
The Lives of the Artists
How to Make Millions with Your Ideas
The Hero with a Thousand Faces
Nexus
AOL.com
Spiritual Warfare
12 Rules For Life
Animal Farm
Failing Forward
The Making of a Philosopher
Anti Americanism
Stuff Matters
World Order
Reinventing American Health Care
The Boys Vol. 1
Wealth of Wisdom
Status Anxiety
Your Keys Our Home
Metaphors We Live By
Wild
The Humane Economy
The Story of Civilization: Caesar and Christ
Posterity: Letters of Great Americans to Their Children