The Blank Slate (Summary)

ebook The Modern Denial of Human Nature

By Steven Pinker

cover image of The Blank Slate (Summary)

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getAbstract Summary: Get the key points from this book in less than 10 minutes.

This book covers a lot of ground: philosophy, genetics, cognition, sociology and academic infighting. Steven Pinker, writing with persuasiveness and craft, shows why the doctrine of the "Blank Slate" became so important to 20th century intellectuals that they were willing to lie, cheat, libel and even threaten those who dissented. Yet, the dissenters were right. Given what science now knows of genetics, the idea that people are blank slates at birth is simply untenable. getAbstract finds that the author, despite a few hints of personal prejudices (ah, there's human nature again), does an excellent job of grappling with enormously challenging subjects.

Book Publisher:

Penguin

The Blank Slate (Summary)