The Blank Slate
by Steven Pinker · first published 2002
54% recommend44% neutral3% critical
Why HN recommends it
A well-sourced argument that human nature is shaped by genes and evolution, not just upbringing, plus a look at why social science resisted this. Suits readers curious about the nature-nurture debate.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
In The Blank Slate, Steven Pinker, 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
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…lot more about how people express and receive love, and the problems that arise from mismatched languages in relationships) -Surely You're Joking Mr. Feynman (you guys probably already know this) -The Blank Slate (Steven Pinker) -The Snowball (Warren Buffett biography) -Influence (Robert B. Cialdini) -Your Money or Your Life (Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin) -When Heaven and Earth Changed Places: A Vietnamese…
on “Ask HN: What books changed the way you think about almost everything?” ↗…part. To think otherwise is absurd. However, this century, many social scientists disliked these facts, and have done everything they could to disprove them. If you're interested, I highly recommend The Blank Slate by Steven Pinker Note: I'm not speaking of genetic differences across populations, just between all people.
on “Interview with Nina Jablonski about Skin” ↗Diamond's book seems to have replaced "The mismeasurement of man" as the go-to screed for "refuting" genetic differences between people. As a response, I would suggest "The Blank Slate" by Stephen Pinker. The trouble, as always, is reductionism: One side saying, "This is the one-and-only reason."
on “Why Africa may never produce a Microsoft, Google, Yahoo, or Facebook” ↗…professor of psychology at the University of Michigan, argues that what we think of as intelligence is quite malleable and owes little or nothing to genetics." Stephen Pinker argued very persuasively in The Blank Slate that this is not the case. Brains are malleable to some degree, but genetics are still very important. One of the more convincing pieces of evidence is the similarities in the abilities of twins raised…
on “Rising Above I.Q.” ↗…perspective, it would be really weird if there weren't. To be clear, men and women are equally mentally gifted as a whole, but focused on different skills, and with bigger variance in men. Pinker's "Blank Slate" lays out the case well: http://www.amazon.com/The-Blank-Slate-Modern-Denial/dp/15012...
on “Research: testosterone changes brain structures in female-to-male transsexuals [pdf]” ↗…Project - (bad prose, not inspired) Grimus - Rushdie - (Amazing) Autobiography of Mark Twain ( oscillating between amazing to boring, worth the effort) Foundation (the whole series) - Asimov - (ok) The Blank Slate - Steven Pinker - (Interesting, good read).
on “Ask HN: Books you read in 2018?” ↗…"intelligence" is largely learned, mind is an empty plate of neurons waiting to be connected. The oldest error in the discussion. Start your elementary education in the subject here: http://www.amazon.com/Blank-Slate-Modern-Denial-Nature/dp/06... Pinker spends an enormous amount of time bowing down to the antique emotionalisms of the age, and so the book shouldn't be too offensive to the weak-hearted. EDIT: user: politrix…
on “What I.Q. doesn't tell you about race” ↗…experience is consistent with scientific findings. Sibling studies have repeatedly shown that genes do account for a significant amount of variation in behavior. While environment plays a role as well, the "blank slate" theory is flat wrong. For an overview of the evidence, I recommend The Blank Slate by Steven Pinker.
on “In the Basement of the Ivory Tower” ↗…nature/nurture pendulum has been stuck on the "nurture" side for a while, and it's now starting swinging back to the middle where it belongs. It's got a ways to go though. I'm reading Steven Pinker's The Blank Slate now, and I highly recommend it to people who are interested in this topic.
on “Miscalibrated Minds: Why Don’t We Apply What We Know About Twins to Everybody?” ↗I've been reading Steven Pinker's The Blank Slate lately. It has changed my view of the role of consciousness in everyday life. It's also clarified my understanding on various social issues, the relationship with the individual and society, and the evolutionary…
on “Ask HN: What have you changed your mind about recently?” ↗I agree, his writings are eye-opening. I know a bit too much about neuroscience, I think, so sometimes when he ventures that way in The Blank Slate I'm unconvinced, but the core of his arguments always stand. My first encounter with his works was The Language Instinct, which was required reading for a course I took on psycholinguistics. If that…
on “Ask HN: What have you changed your mind about recently?” ↗…women and men have different natures is a human universal. [2] For a rigorous account of the positive case that women and men differ in their cognitive and behavioral characteristics, I can recommend The Blank Slate by Steven Pinker. [3] If you're short on time, see his TED talk for a quick overview. [4] [1]: If creationism were mainstream, Wikipedia would claim a "controversy" over evolution. Indeed, many creationists…
on “Does a More Equal Marriage Mean Less Sex?” ↗Almost certainly not. Stephen Pinker has a whole book discussing not only why not, but why some people are willing to ignore both evidence and reason in order to believe it anyway: The Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature (http://www.amazon.com/The-Blank-Slate-Modern-Denial/dp/01420...)
on “Did The Harappan Civilization Avoid War for 2,000 Years?” ↗…in exhausting detail [1]), but even suggesting the possibility of group differences frequently leads to accusations of racism and sexism—as you've just so ably demonstrated. [1]: See, for example, The Blank Slate by Steven Pinker. Then, once you get over your knee-jerk "That's racist!!!" reflex, take a look—I mean actually read for comprehension—The Bell Curve by Herrnstein and Murray. Maybe add a little Cavalli-Sforza…
on “A Way to Detect Bias” ↗'The Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature' by Steven Pinker.
on “Ask HN: What is the most mind blowing book you've ever read?” ↗