The Blank Slate
Also known as The Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature
Steven Pinker's 2002 argument against tabula rasa models of the mind in the social sciences.
At a glance
Key ideas
Three dogmas, Equality without sameness, Responsibility survives …
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Steven Pinker, Daniel Dennett and Richard Dawkins
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- Pinker argues that human behaviour is significantly shaped by evolved psychological traits.
- He says modern science has challenged three linked dogmas: the blank slate, the noble savage and the ghost in the machine.
- Much of the book answers fears that his view leads to inequality, imperfectibility, determinism or nihilism.
- He argues these fears do not follow, and that the blank-slate view has itself done harm.
Why it matters
- A defence of human nature in the nature–nurture debate, nominated for the 2003 Aventis Prize and a Pulitzer finalist.
Key facts
- Author
- Steven Pinker1
- Published
- 20021
- Recognition
- Nominated for the 2003 Aventis Prizes; finalist for the Pulitzer Prize1
Key ideas
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Three dogmas1
The blank slate (empiricism), the noble savage (romanticism) and the ghost in the machine (dualism).
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Equality without sameness1
Political equality needs policies that treat people as individuals with rights, not identical minds.
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Responsibility survives1
Responsibility does not need behaviour to be uncaused, only that it respond to praise and blame.
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The cost of the slate1
He links the belief to totalitarian social engineering and to excessive blame of parents.
Connections
Links
Sources
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