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aprilchen01's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting, but as some other reviews have said, it feels at some points like he’s railing against straw men. Honestly about a third of the way through I got too frustrated and started just skimming it instead. There are interesting facts and studies about various parts of human nature that I did find fascinating! And I am convinced ultimately that the human mind does have genetic predispositions (but not predeterminism in a strict sense) and that acknowledging this is important for our conception of psychology/morality and even for creating policy. But also some parts felt pretty dated.
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).