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
Why Wages Rise
How to Change Your Mind
Inside the Rise of HBO
Watchmen
Creating Shareholder Value
Livewired
Deep Value
Priceless
The Confessions
My Years with General Motors
The Origin of Species
Howard Hughes
Cultural Strategy
Rebooting AI
The Search
The Inner Studio
The Future Is Faster Than You Think
Pippi Longstocking
Mastery
Hard Drive
Foundation's Edge
Shook One
The Internet of Money Volume 1
Rise of the Dungeon Master
Patient Capital
Trillion Dollar Coach
The Wealth and Poverty of Nations
Kindly Inquisitors
The Tao of Charlie Munger
Ask The Dust
The Sleepwalkers
Hooked
The Bet
Red Star Over The Pacific
The Culture Code
Best Evidence
The Better Angels of our Nature
Mycelium Running
The Best We Could Do
Plagues and Peoples
Rework
Don't Feed the Monkey Mind
Debt
Trump and Churchill
Pandaemonium
Stranger In A Strange Land
Shaping the Future of the Fourth Industrial Revolution
Maybe You Should Talk To Someone
Andy Grove
Leaving Microsoft to Change the World
Paradigms Of A.I. Programming
A Curious Mind
Eradication
Ladies and Gentlemen - Lenny Bruce!!
Letters to a Young Poet
This Time Is Different
Frenemies
The Hero with a Thousand Faces
What's Our Problem?
Trader Vic
Good To Great
Understanding Comics
A Practical Guide for Policy Analysis
Race Matters
The Future of Capitalism
Little Brother
Age Of Ambition
The War for Kindness
The Tyranny of Experts
The Story of the Human Body
Tales of the Unexpected
A Second Chance
Journey to the Center of the Earth
Lone Survivor
In Praise of Slowness
The Gallic Wars
The Dovekeepers
Les Miserables
The Fish That Ate The Whale
The Agile Gene
Wonderworks
Smart People Should Build Things
The Art of War
The Secret of Fatima
The Spider Network
Walking
The Construction of Social Reality
Measure What Matters
Trust Me, I'm Lying
How We Got To Now
The Capitalist Manifesto
Something Incredibly Wonderful Happens
Rational Decisions
Stan Smith
As A Man Thinketh
How Buildings Learn
Inside Trump's White House
Swimming Across
The Big Short
The Model Thinker