The Blank Slate
by Steven Pinker
Pinker's argument against the denial of human nature in modern thought: the blank slate, the noble savage and the ghost in the machine, and why acknowledging innate tendencies does not justify inequality or cruelty. Provocative and carefully argued.
Read it if…
you want a rigorous case that human nature exists and matters.
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Skip it if…
you want a short read.
Try instead: The Language Instinct →
Three things you will actually use
- Human nature is real.
- Nature does not justify injustice.
- Parenting matters less than peers and genes for personality.
Do this first
Read the chapters on children and parenting.
Our verdict
Provocative and careful.
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