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The Blank Slate

The Modern Denial of Human Nature

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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

Recently many people have assumed that we are blank slates shaped by our environment. But this denies the heart of our being: human nature. Violence is not just a product of society; male and female minds are different; the genes we give our children shape them more than our parenting practices. To acknowledge our innate abilities, Pinker shows, is not to condone inequality, but to understand the very foundations of humanity.

'A passionate defence of the enduring power of human nature ... both life-affirming and deeply satisfying' Daily Telegraph

'Brilliant ... enjoyable, informative, clear, humane' New Scientist

'Startling ... This is a breath of air for a topic that has been politicized for too long' Economist

©2003 Steven Pinker (P)2019 Penguin Audio

 Consciousness & Thought Movements Neuroscience & Neuropsychology Philosophy Psychology Psychology & Mental Health Sociology Thought-Provoking Socialism Capitalism

Critic reviews

A passionate defence of the enduring power of human nature ... both life-affirming and deeply satisfying (Tim Lott)
Brilliant ... enjoyable, informative, clear, humane
If you think the nature-nurture debate has been resolved, you are wrong ... this book is required reading
An original and vital contribution to science and also a rattling good read (Matt Ridley)
All stars
Most relevant
The best pop science book I have read so far. Pinker’s data driven approach embedded in rational and human-centred focus of the nature-nurture debate is refreshing. The writing style is skill full but yet not overly self-celebrating. The narrator did a good job. 20 hours of listening without losing interest, actually the opposite! I went back to chapters because I did not wanted to miss any detail. 5/5 ⭐️

A masterpiece of pop science writing

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I'm on a reading roll!! I love how this book flows. Every chapter worth reading. Definitely will come back to it very soon. Also it shows just how much Pinker loves language when he draws attention to its properties any chance he gets. And then he also quotes Shakespeare and Orwell a couple of times. I can't even. Oh and he drags his fellow academics just enough in this one, it makes it entertaining but kind.

Important, fascinating, argumentative, kind.

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This book officially deepened my fascinations for social science and psychology in general I'll again.

Unexpectedly fascinating

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It blew my mind rewrote my internal facts makes me think I’ll be reading more of Steven Pinker

Read it and learn

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Pinker takes on the sacred cows of modern liberalism and shows them up for the frauds they are

A Brilliant book that is still relevant

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