Pinker, Steven (2002) The Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature, New York: Viking, 509 pages. REPLAY

Pinker attacks the modern/post modern academic holy trinity (empiricism, romanticism, and dualism.) In common terms, humans are a product of their environment; people are basically good and have a soul.

Other than the issue of the soul/self, the political right will cheer him on. Then in a not so subtle twist, he espouses a left Darwinism (social democratic capitalism.) One finds that he is trying to save Academia from itself. What he says is unsettling for professor, but makes sense to the person on the street.  People are basically bad, selfish, and soulless. However, he is not that reductionist. Given the right environment, family and peer group, people can learn to be civil, less selfish, and feel a soul.

The Left has to rethink their paradigm. Academia has generated thousands of studies asking the wrong questions and generating dubious findings. In the meantime, years from now, the human condition will probably be more of the same. Thus, we have a Hobbesian future, of confused morality, self-serving biases, ethnocentrism, dominance, violence, limited sharing, nepotism, and inheritance.

In the midst of all this, most countries are much less violent today than early hunting and gathering tribes. Vicious Vikings of Sweden have evolved into civilized, very civilized gentle people. Women can do everything that men do, but may be more attracted to some occupations and professions than others. This also applies to men. Everywhere in the world, Africans have a 15-point IQ deficit relative to Caucasians and even more to Asians. However, when the culture and genetics of learning transpires, they will become like Swedes (more cognitive and gentle.) Peaceful societies exist, because we acknowledge human frailties and do not try to get rid of selfishness.

Though there are numerous varieties of cultures, humans seem to prefer market economies with social protections. However, any buffers that support “social loafers” will soon perish. Peaceful societies encourage, but do not force peaceful procedures.

Children come through parents, but are not carbon copies of them. About half of all the types of talent (personality, tolerance of ambiguity, intelligence, and related life skills) are inherited. Some genetics are independent; others are intervening. Order is both social and natural.

Pinker’s latest work is thought provoking and controversial. However, if you read between the lines, discussion of values that academics treasure are likely to occur given different strategies. This also applies to the liberal-left. His discussion of sociology is out of date. Most introductory textbooks have a section on socio-biology.  This also applies to Skinnerian’s. behaviorist psychologists, now take into account what the individual wants and believe that external secret manipulation is not appropriate. If one claims in a court of law, that genes made me do this. It won’t work. Nor, can one blame a devil or

 environment. It is all in the mix.

Further, his political policy could easily be portrayed as Neo-Marxism or Neo-Fabian.

He is a Canadian, and his form of capitalism compliments much of the Labor party.

In some respects, he claims to be an underdog, but much of his theories and research strategies have now been implemented in the social sciences. In colleges and universities, the old nature vs. nurture debate now seems to be dying. It will be a death that is not missed or filled with sentimental nostalgia.

Prof. Joel Snell

Kirkwood College

Cedar Rapids, Iowa