The Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature

· Sold by Penguin
4.8
29 reviews
Ebook
560
Pages
Eligible

About this ebook

A brilliant inquiry into the origins of human nature from the author of RationalityThe Better Angels of Our Nature, and Enlightenment Now.

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

Finalist for the Pulitzer Prize

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.

Ratings and reviews

4.8
29 reviews
Brayden Kohler
March 14, 2024
Very important read especially today. This book covers meaningful and insightful research about how we operate, learn, and raise children. Certain sections in the middle of the books felt over extended and could've been a lot shorter, but the beginning and end of the book may change your perspective on cognition.
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allen greg
October 5, 2020
I consider this to be one of the most important books of the 20th Century and refuse to have an argument with anyone who hasn't read it.
4 people found this review helpful
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Paul Demetre
March 8, 2021
I believe this to be Pinker's masterwork. Dense, yet readable, this is a must read for anyone who thinks about the nature of mankind.
1 person found this review helpful
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About the author

Steven Pinker is the Harvard College Professor of Psychology at Harvard University. A two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist and the winner of many awards for his research, teaching, and books, he has been named one of Time's 100 Most Influential People in the World Today and Foreign Policy's 100 Global Thinkers.

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