About this product

Product Identifiers

PublisherPenguin Publishing Group

ISBN-100142003344

ISBN-139780142003343

eBay Product ID (ePID)2453567

Product Key Features

Book TitleBlank Slate : the Modern Denial of Human Nature

Number of Pages560 Pages

LanguageEnglish

Publication Year2003

TopicPhilosophy & Social Aspects, Cognitive Neuroscience & Cognitive Neuropsychology, Life Sciences / Genetics & Genomics, Evolutionary Psychology, Developmental / General

GenreScience, Psychology

AuthorSteven Pinker

FormatUk-B Format Paperback

Dimensions

Item Height1.1 in

Item Weight18 Oz

Item Length9.2 in

Item Width5.9 in

Additional Product Features

Intended AudienceTrade

Reviews"Steven Pinker has written an extremely good book-clear, well argued, fair, learned, tough, witty, humane, stimulating." (The Washington Post) "Sweeping, erudite, sharply argued, and fun to read. It's also highly persuasive." (Time), "Steven Pinker has written an extremely good book-clear, well argued, fair, learned, tough, witty, humane, stimulating." ( The Washington Post ), "Steven Pinker has written an extremely good book-clear, well argued, fair, learned, tough, witty, humane, stimulating." ( The Washington Post ) "Sweeping, erudite, sharply argued, and fun to read. It''s also highly persuasive." ( Time ), "Steven Pinker has written an extremely good book-clear, well argued, fair, learned, tough, witty, humane, stimulating." ( The Washington Post ) "Sweeping, erudite, sharply argued, and fun to read. It's also highly persuasive." ( Time ), "An extremely good book-clear, well argued, fair, learned, tough, witty, humane, stimulating." ( The Washington Post ) "Pinker makes his main argument persuasively and with great verve...ought to be read by anybody who feels they hav had enough of the nature-nurture rows." (The Economist) "Stylish...what a superb thinker and writer he is." (Richard Dawkins, TLS ) "Required reading...an unanswerable case for accepting that man can be, as he is, both wired and free." (Frederick Raphael, Los Angeles Times ), "Steven Pinker has written an extremely good book-clear, well argued, fair, learned, tough, witty, humane, stimulating." (The Washington Post)

TitleLeadingThe

Dewey Edition21

Grade FromTwelfth Grade

Dewey Decimal155.2/34

Grade ToUP

Table Of ContentPreface Part 1: The Blank Slate, the Noble Savage, and the Ghost in the Machine Chapter 1: The Official Theory Chapter 2: Silly Putty Chapter 3: The Last Wall to Fall Chapter 4: Culture Vultures Chapter 5: The Slate's Last Stand Part II: Fear and Loathing Chapter 6: Political Scientists Chapter 7: The Holy Trinity Part III: Human Nature with a Human Face Chapter 8: The Fear of Inequality Chapter 9: The Fear on Imperfectibility Chapter 10: The Fear of Determinism Chapter 11: The Fear of Nihilism Part IV: Know Thyself Chapter 12: In Touch with Reality Chapter 13: Out of Our Depths Chapter 14: The Many Roots of Our Suffering Chapter 15: The Sanctimonious Animal Part V: Hot Buttons Chapter 16: Politics Chapter 17: Violence Chapter 18: Gender Chapter 19: Children Chapter 20: The Arts Part VI: The Voice of the Species Appendix: Donald E. Brown's List of Human Universals Notes References Index

SynopsisA brilliant inquiry into the origins of human nature from the author of The Better Angels of Our Nature and Enlightenment Now. "Sweeping, erudite, sharply argued, and fun to read..also highly persuasive." -- Time Now updated with a new afterword 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., A brilliant inquiry into the origins of human nature from the author of Rationality , The Better Angels of Our Nature, and Enlightenment Now. "Sweeping, erudite, sharply argued, and fun to read..also highly persuasive." -- Time Finalist for the Pulitzer Prize Updated with a new afterword 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.

LC Classification NumberBF341