steven pinker human nature and the blank slate

Evolutionary biology has shown that complex adaptations are ubiquitous in the living world, and that natural selection is capable of evolving them, including complex cognitive and behavioral adaptations.Computers and robots programmed to do humanlike feats are invariably endowed with many complex modules.Simple logic says there can be no learning without innate mechanisms to do the learning.Identical twins, whether separated at birth or not, are eerily alike (though far from identical) in just about any trait one can measure.All the potential for thinking, learning, and feeling that distinguishes humans from other animals lies in the information contained in our DNA.Universal mental mechanisms underlie superficial variation across cultures. Cultures vary much less than they seemingly appear.The human brain is a computational device that evolved to enable humans to survival in the real world.The mind cannot be a blank slate, because blank slates don’t do anything.Breakthroughs in cognitive science, neuroscience, evolutionary psychology and behavioral genetics show that this assumption is incorrect.The dominant belief among social scientists that there is no human nature based upon biology and the human mind is a “blank state” is incorrect.I highly recommend this book! Key Take-aways

As with all of Pinker’s books, this one is extremely wide-ranging and thought-provoking. Pinker makes the compelling case that current social science is based on assumption that are very inaccurate, so they should be dispelling. My CommentsĪny theories of history and progress must be grounded in a sound understanding of human psychology and biology. If you would like to learn about progress, read my book From Poverty to Progress: How Humans Invented Progress, and How We Can Keep It Going. Pinker argues that the dominant belief among social scientists that there is no human nature and that the human mind is a “blank state” is incorrect. If you enjoy this summary, please support the author by buying the book. Title: Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature

Steven pinker human nature and the blank slate