catbooking's review against another edition
The first section was really fascinating, the one describing how the brain wires itself during development. But then it felt like the book took a turn into name-calling where the author named specific scientists he disagreed with and trashed their theories. Now, I am not saying the theories did not deserve to be trashed, but it really felt like I was stepping into some big drama I knew nothing about and was expected to pick sides.
I made it through that section, hoping to leave the what felt like petty disagreements behind, and then stumbled face first into two comments by the author that were plainly false. I am not saying I am being entirely unbiased here, but I felt that the author was simplifying some theories that have a LOT of background to them, and in his simplification getting things very wrong. Considering he criticized other scientists for doing the same thing previously, I found it to be a bit dubious.
This is where I took a break from listening to the book, intending to push through until the end. But then I thought that the more sensitive topics, like gender and politics, are still in the future pages and now I don't feel like I could trust the author to not have an agenda behind his words.
So I feel like I am going to have to quit here, leaving the possibility that I might come back to it later open.
I made it through that section, hoping to leave the what felt like petty disagreements behind, and then stumbled face first into two comments by the author that were plainly false. I am not saying I am being entirely unbiased here, but I felt that the author was simplifying some theories that have a LOT of background to them, and in his simplification getting things very wrong. Considering he criticized other scientists for doing the same thing previously, I found it to be a bit dubious.
This is where I took a break from listening to the book, intending to push through until the end. But then I thought that the more sensitive topics, like gender and politics, are still in the future pages and now I don't feel like I could trust the author to not have an agenda behind his words.
So I feel like I am going to have to quit here, leaving the possibility that I might come back to it later open.
lassebirk's review
5.0
SUMMARY:
The blank slate idea won the intellectual scene in the 20th century, but neuroscience, psychology, biology and related fields are showing it to be false. There are human universals such as love, violence, jealousy, gender differences, and many others, and there are compelling evolutionary explanations for them, and behavioral sciences have shown that all human traits are significantly heritable.
Many fear that discarding the blank slate theory will enable group discrimation such as racism and sexism, but Pinker reminds us that some of the biggest atrocities of the 20th century were justified using blank slate ideology:
Many also fear that heritable traits such as intelligence will justify social inequalities and thus favor policies that increase inequality, but it might as well be argued that heritable traits prove that bad life outcome is not necessarily the individual's fault and thus justify helping disadvantaged groups.
The blank slate idea won the intellectual scene in the 20th century, but neuroscience, psychology, biology and related fields are showing it to be false. There are human universals such as love, violence, jealousy, gender differences, and many others, and there are compelling evolutionary explanations for them, and behavioral sciences have shown that all human traits are significantly heritable.
Many fear that discarding the blank slate theory will enable group discrimation such as racism and sexism, but Pinker reminds us that some of the biggest atrocities of the 20th century were justified using blank slate ideology:
"More sinisterly, we find Mao Zedong justifying his radical social engineering by saying, “It is on a blank page that the most beautiful poems are written."
Lenin endorsed Nikolai Bukharin’s ideal of “the manufacturing of Communist man out of the human material of the capitalist age.”43 Lenin’s admirer Maxim Gorky wrote, “The working classes are to Lenin what minerals are to the metallurgist”44 and “Human raw material is immeasurably more difficult to work with than wood” (the latter while admiring a canal built by slave labor).45 We come across the metaphor of the blank slate in the writings of a man who may have been responsible for sixty-five million deaths: A blank sheet of paper has no blotches, and so the newest and most beautiful words can be written on it, the newest and most beautiful pictures can be painted on it. —Mao Zedong
Many also fear that heritable traits such as intelligence will justify social inequalities and thus favor policies that increase inequality, but it might as well be argued that heritable traits prove that bad life outcome is not necessarily the individual's fault and thus justify helping disadvantaged groups.
spinnerroweok's review against another edition
4.0
This is a very interesting look at inherited personality traits and how they relate to our daily lives including family, commerce, and politics. I'll have to go through it again since it was so full of information.
kahawa's review against another edition
4.0
This book discusses all the topics we should be discussing, and for the most part Pinker does a skilled job of it. Ultimately he debunks the blank slate idea. Humans are not blank slates waiting to be written upon. But that's not to say that humans aren't written upon - they totally are. The Blank Slate theory seems to be an ethics driven theory which pushes unqualified equality as its highest ideal. IMO, it's unfortunate that the book is named for the theory it debunks. 'Human Nature' would have been a much better title, and that's really what the book is about - humans are born with a nature, and it affects their lives, just as much as they are affected by nurture.
I think where The Blank Slate lacks is that it could have benefited from having editorial feedback from those he's criticising. He's done his research, but I don't think he's taken on their strongest counter arguments. Also, at times he talks about progress in equal rights and makes it sound like we've dealt with those bad problems - now it's pretty much fixed albeit with a few kinks to work out. This is, again, where critical feedback would have greatly enhanced his message. As it is, it might not age well.
Still, a really important discussion on human nature.
I think where The Blank Slate lacks is that it could have benefited from having editorial feedback from those he's criticising. He's done his research, but I don't think he's taken on their strongest counter arguments. Also, at times he talks about progress in equal rights and makes it sound like we've dealt with those bad problems - now it's pretty much fixed albeit with a few kinks to work out. This is, again, where critical feedback would have greatly enhanced his message. As it is, it might not age well.
Still, a really important discussion on human nature.
gnug315's review against another edition
5.0
Ambitious, brilliant, thought-provoking - especially if you disagree on things.
Pulitzer finalist for a reason.
Pulitzer finalist for a reason.
robd's review against another edition
5.0
Excellent book - a must read for anyone having an interest in Psychology and human behaviour. Pinker has a great style of writing; it is clear, entertaining (He has an endless supply of Psychology jokes) and thoroughly informative. The book touches on many important studies of the last century and crushes the false beliefs surrounding numerous major topics of life (even today).
retroviridae's review against another edition
informative
slow-paced
5.0
My favorite book of all time, but a very difficult and slow read. It took me several months to get through but every single chapter was eye opening and life changing.
regnarenol's review against another edition
4.0
Definitely worth a read especially as it offers an erudite counterpoint to the prevailing wisdom of the day - at least in the circles I seem to hang out in - that the brain is definitely a blank state.
inquiry_from_an_anti_library's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
2.0
Overview:
Each society has a theory of human nature, which is rarely referenced, but shapes beliefs and policies. Theories of human behavior range from mainly genetics to mainly social constructs. Human behavior is shaped by nature and nurture. Evolution coded in genetics has limited resources and ability to anticipate various complex situations, therefore cannot do everything. Nurture coded in social constructs have physical limitations, therefore cannot do everything. There are contexts which can be explained with mainly nurture or nature. Social constructs like language are nurture, while genetic disorders are nature. Within most contexts, nature and nurture work together. There are complex interactions between genes and their environment.
The blank slate is a reference to an extreme nurture view of the human mind. That the human mind has no inherent structure, in which society and the individual can inscribe values. Differences in behavior come about through differences in experiences. By changing the experiences, can the individual change. This implies that problematic behavior can be ameliorated. There are limitations within this perspective. Blank slates cannot do anything because they would not have the innate circuitry for learning or understanding. While culture shapes thought, thought could not come about without a biological entity capable of learning. Humans are biologically distinguishable, and are constrained in their choices.
More On Evolution, and the Blank Slate:
Genes cannot provide a complete blueprint. They have limited resources, which means can only be so big. Genes cannot anticipate the complexity of the environment and behavior of other genes. To compensate, genes have developed a program that enables learning mechanisms such as feedback, which generate information with which to adjust behavior.
There are many limitations of the blank slate perspective. The mind creates a model of the world, but the model is based on the physical world. It takes a perceiver with information to decipher patters, combine patters with priory learned patterns, and use them to obtain new thoughts that guide behavior.
Humans have the capacity to learn, and interpret information if a myriad of ways. With finite information processing, can an infinite range of behavior be generated. Culture is a cumulative pool of information that enables coordination of expectations about each other’s behavior. Genes do not create cultures, but cultures do not impact formless minds.
Recognition of biological differences has caused many unfavorable conclusions such as prejudice, Social Darwinism, and eugenics. Biological constraints prevent complete reshaping of human behavior, and can be seen as deterministic.
Caveats?
The claims about nature and nurture are sensitive topics, which garner controversy. The author attempts to provide a more appropriate and neutral explanation for how they shape human society. The problem is that the way in which the book is written, is not favorable to neutrality.
igivemyselfthecreeps's review against another edition
3.0
Finally finished! We'll sort of. I skipped a few chapters in the middle. 4 to be precise. Just didn't seem like they were terribly important for my exam, and frankly I got kind of bored with the book after a while.
Pinker is a good writer. He's smart. He's read a lot. Though he also seems a tad pretentious. Not everything in the world is the result of a blank slate approach to human nature. Some things, sure, but not everything.
I dunno. He is totally right about a lot of things, but not everything, and he always presents stuff in such a way that if 1% of something is heritable, he wins, cause everyone else apparently denies genes and such.
Anyway. Not a bad book. Better than some science books I'm sure.
Pinker is a good writer. He's smart. He's read a lot. Though he also seems a tad pretentious. Not everything in the world is the result of a blank slate approach to human nature. Some things, sure, but not everything.
I dunno. He is totally right about a lot of things, but not everything, and he always presents stuff in such a way that if 1% of something is heritable, he wins, cause everyone else apparently denies genes and such.
Anyway. Not a bad book. Better than some science books I'm sure.