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3.96 AVERAGE
3.96 AVERAGE
very good book, dense with highly valuable knowledge. the chapters on radical social science and the reasoning behind its left-wing bias was illuminating.
The arguments of what affects us more as a human, or inherent nature or our environment, have been going on for years, and this is Pinker's attempt to look at the arguments for and against.
A lot of what he puts forward here is fascinating stuff, from details of collaboration between fishing crews, boys brought up as girls after failed operations, test and observations on twins brought up apart and so on. But he spent an awful lot of the time being very critical on subject as diverse as feminism and philosophy, and it didn't really play a part of this book.
Disappointing in the end, as some of his other books that I have read have been so much more coherent.
A lot of what he puts forward here is fascinating stuff, from details of collaboration between fishing crews, boys brought up as girls after failed operations, test and observations on twins brought up apart and so on. But he spent an awful lot of the time being very critical on subject as diverse as feminism and philosophy, and it didn't really play a part of this book.
Disappointing in the end, as some of his other books that I have read have been so much more coherent.
Some sections are good, but others are biased and flaw.
The idea that human nature is predominantly dictated by genes, that the grand role of the environment in social conditioning is not so grand in comparison to what we physically inherit from Mum and Dad, is a taboo topic in today's political landscape. Pinker in "The Blank Slate" wrestles with this taboo, and in the process will fundamentally reshape the way you think about the world. It is no wonder this book has equally been praised and lambasted by various academics and critics, from fields varying from evolutionary psychology to fine art.
Through the analysis of the ideas that humans are born as blank slates to be written on by society, would likely be "noble savages" if it was not for modern culture, and that there is something to humans that is not biological ("the ghost in the machine"), Pinker presents evidence after exhaustive evidence to show that these ideas have no firm scientific backing.
While the eradication of these concepts may worry many, as Pinker rightly predicts:
he goes on to demonstrate that such conclusions are incongruent. We need to recognise the role of human nature, born in us, if we are to correct some of the most pressing social issues of our time. Recognising scientific fact does not dictate our moral prerogatives. If anything, to ignore the real innate human would be to implement incorrect social policies and cause preventable suffering.
You could easily produce a thesis in of itself analysing this text. That is not the point of this review. It is one of those books you need to read for yourself and I highly recommend it. I just want to mention two main downsides to the text. Despite presenting mostly rigorous theses, Pinker does fall a little into straw man arguments towards the end of the text (especially in the chapter on art... but then again I might not have understood his arguments correctly since the discussions were so far from my professional interests and hobbies). Additionally, the first 60-or-so pages are dreary to a non-brain expert as he lays out a probably too comprehensive understanding of the brain.
While having been written nearly 15 years ago, "The Blank Slate" is still vital reading today. I believe this books will likely be identified as one of the most important texts written this century.
As a postscript, if anyone would like to discuss the chapter on "Gender", I would really appreciate the chance. The role of genes in gender roles is one the most taboo topics in today's society. Finally, if you really want your world view turned on its head, I recommend reading "The Blank Slate" along with [b:Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind|23692271|Sapiens A Brief History of Humankind|Yuval Noah Harari|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1420585954s/23692271.jpg|18962767][b:Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind|23692271|Sapiens A Brief History of Humankind|Yuval Noah Harari|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1420585954s/23692271.jpg|18962767] and [b:Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow|31138556|Homo Deus A Brief History of Tomorrow|Yuval Noah Harari|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1468760805s/31138556.jpg|45087110] in the same year!
Through the analysis of the ideas that humans are born as blank slates to be written on by society, would likely be "noble savages" if it was not for modern culture, and that there is something to humans that is not biological ("the ghost in the machine"), Pinker presents evidence after exhaustive evidence to show that these ideas have no firm scientific backing.
While the eradication of these concepts may worry many, as Pinker rightly predicts:
“To acknowledge human nature, many think, is to endorse racism, sexism, war, greed, genocide, nihilism, reactionary politics, and neglect of children and the disadvantaged.”
he goes on to demonstrate that such conclusions are incongruent. We need to recognise the role of human nature, born in us, if we are to correct some of the most pressing social issues of our time. Recognising scientific fact does not dictate our moral prerogatives. If anything, to ignore the real innate human would be to implement incorrect social policies and cause preventable suffering.
You could easily produce a thesis in of itself analysing this text. That is not the point of this review. It is one of those books you need to read for yourself and I highly recommend it. I just want to mention two main downsides to the text. Despite presenting mostly rigorous theses, Pinker does fall a little into straw man arguments towards the end of the text (especially in the chapter on art... but then again I might not have understood his arguments correctly since the discussions were so far from my professional interests and hobbies). Additionally, the first 60-or-so pages are dreary to a non-brain expert as he lays out a probably too comprehensive understanding of the brain.
While having been written nearly 15 years ago, "The Blank Slate" is still vital reading today. I believe this books will likely be identified as one of the most important texts written this century.
As a postscript, if anyone would like to discuss the chapter on "Gender", I would really appreciate the chance. The role of genes in gender roles is one the most taboo topics in today's society. Finally, if you really want your world view turned on its head, I recommend reading "The Blank Slate" along with [b:Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind|23692271|Sapiens A Brief History of Humankind|Yuval Noah Harari|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1420585954s/23692271.jpg|18962767][b:Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind|23692271|Sapiens A Brief History of Humankind|Yuval Noah Harari|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1420585954s/23692271.jpg|18962767] and [b:Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow|31138556|Homo Deus A Brief History of Tomorrow|Yuval Noah Harari|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1468760805s/31138556.jpg|45087110] in the same year!
funny
informative
reflective
slow-paced
Very academic sometimes pedantic treatment of the subject of human nature's variability.
challenging
informative
tense
slow-paced
Prose/Readability: 4
Author’s Commitment to Objective Truth: 4
Interesting Content: 4
Perspective Shift: 4
Comments:
Author’s Commitment to Objective Truth: 4
Interesting Content: 4
Perspective Shift: 4
Comments:
Really a great read. I learned a lot from this and it raised a huge number of additional questions that I want to now pursue in other books. It pointed out a sensible empirically based underpinning for why many people act and believe as they do.
It took me quite a long time to read this one. The text is quite small and it hurt my eyes, while the density of ideas hurt my brain. Pinker gives the reader a lot to think about in his attempt to debunk the widely-held belief that we are all born as tabulae rasae, and that nurture the sole determinant of our character or behaviour. And while some of his statements might be regarded in some quarters as 'politically incorrect', for the most part he doesn't so much proselytise as put his propositions out there for contemplation. But he doesn't half go on, though, and some his utterances and assertions (particularly on modern art and composition) betray significant personal prejudice. So take it with a pinch of salt.