![]() ![]() I think the case blank slate was argued quite well, and nails exactly what causes the current climate against innate behaviour. The third and final pillar is the 'ghost in the machine', originating from Cartesian dualism. ![]() This comes mostly from romanticism, and Pinker gives special highlight to Rousseau as a major influence. ![]() The second is the 'noble savage', which states human beings good by default, but they're corrupted by society. The first is the 'blank slate', which is heavily tied to Lock and empiricism, although similar claims go as far back as Aquinas and Aristotle. Pinker starts with what he believes is the philosophical roots that cause that belief. He's not arguing for biological determinism or claiming nurture has no effect, but rather against the view that we have no inherent nature, which is quite persuasive in our culture, and likely even more so in intellectual circles (mostly social sciences). In this book, Pinker gives a very comprehensive overview of the modern denial of human nature, and how the view of the blank slate is quite simply wrong. Both the title and subtitle couldn't be more perfect. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |