The Blank Slate

The Modern Denial of Human Nature

By: Steven Pinker

Narrated by: Victor Bevine

Length: 22 hrs and 40 mins

Publisher's summary

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 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.

NOTE: Some changes to the original text have been made with the author's approval.

©2003 Steven Pinker (P)2009 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"[P]ersuasive and illuminating." ( Publishers Weekly)

Five stars again for Pinker...

A monumental work debunking the still (unbelievably) widely held idea that the human mind is a blank slate shaped by culture. (The most simple thought shows that the blank slate theory begs the question: how can the mind come from culture, when, by simple reasoning, one can easily deduce that culture, in fact, MUST come from the mind--there was no free floating original "culture" waiting for the first mind to come into existence.) Pinker uses all the latest technology and scientific knowledge to make his points, and though this book does not have the usual Pinker pop culture winks and playful wit, it will still be easy enough for most laymen to understand and profit from.

Its age is period.

There's a lot of wisdom in here, but had I known it was written in 2002 but might not have bought it. The examples are from way in the past.

Steven Pinker is very objective.

Where does The Blank Slate rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Among the top. I learned a lot, although, I'm not smart enough to say that I grasped all the concepts completely.

Which character – as performed by Victor Bevine – was your favorite?

N/A. Nonfiction

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No. I'm open minded. I learned a lot.

Any additional comments?

This is probably a book where one should buy the book and not listen to the audiobook. I've been told that the book has a lot of corresponding graphs, etc., so that you can see the data and grasp the concepts at hand.

Please don't miss this work.

It should provide a refreshing perspective for those interested in the biology of behavior, the relationship between your mind and brain, and help to diffuse many myths about what human nature really is and why we shouldn't avoid studying it scientifically. Listen and let the dogma of the blank slate be exercised from your psyche.

Bravo.

Every word is to the point. The author examines a large and important subject comprehensively and factually: human nature and its misappropriation. Recommended.

The best book in evolutionary psychology

The entire book is enlightening, and easy to go through it. The best narrative and probably the best intellectual content of all the evolutionary psychology books I have go through until now. A must read

The best

Steven Pinker hits it out of the park! Beautifully cogent! A must read for anyone who works in any human service field!

another great from Pinker

I feel that the beginning was dense and seemingly repetitive. The scientific nitty gritty of behavioral genetics can be a bit of a slog. Most of the book is entertaining, enlightening, and persuasive. Naturally for Pinker, it is sweeping in scope and range of application. Still highly relevant in 2018.

This book will change your life

After reading this book, you get the sense that you haven't learned anything at all, because it all just seems so intuitive with Pinker's flawless deconstruction. You will never think of psychology the same way again, and you won't even know what hit you. It's too bad that this isn't required reading in high school health classes.
The worst thing about this auidobook is that the narrator is completely tone deaf. He reads each line of this psychology textbook as though it is an introduction for a professional wrestling match. At least he is consistent, so the cadence isn't so distracting after a while.

What we do, Why we do it, and How we influence it.

This book is delightfully scientific, refreshingly objective and prudent, and astoundingly well made in more ways than i am able to convey with words.

In short:
1. If you want to know HOW we came to be - the origin of our species, and our history, read "Sapiens" By Yuval Noah Harari.
2. If you want to know WHY we do what we do, and WHAT we are influenced by, read this book.

Vertchu