Where once the idea of human nature was treated with suspicion, today there is barely a human activity for which someone does not have an evolutionary account. A key figure in bringing about this change has been the psychologist Steven Pinker. Books such as The Language Instinct and How the Mind Works have established Pinker’s reputation both as one of the finest science writers of his generation and as a swashbuckling champion of evolutionary psychology and the computational theory of mind.
Pinker, however, remains unconvinced that there has been such an intellectual transformation. Human nature, he insists, remains “a modern taboo.” It’s a taboo “that distorts our science and scholarship, our public discourse and our day-to-day lives.” In his new book, The Blank Slate, Pinker seeks to to restore balance to the discussion of what it is to be human.
The “modern denial of human nature,” he argues, is rooted in three beliefs: “the blank slate,” the “noble savage” and the “ghost in the machine.” According to the blank slate view, human infants acquire all their knowledge socially. The ideology of the noble savage suggests that humans are naturally born good, and that society corrupts them. The “ghost in the machine” is the term that the philosopher Gilbert Ryle gave to Descartes’s view of the mind as an immaterial spirit distinct from the physical world.
If you are a subscriber, please log in »
This article is available to subscribers only
Subscribing to Prospect is the most reliable and convenient way to receive the magazine every month, and offers the best value.Why not subscribe?
In Print
Delivered straight to your door each month, starting at just £18 for six months. All print subscriptions now come with a free online subscription which includes complete access to our searchable archive. Buy a subscription now »Online
An online subscription offers you complete and unlimited access to the entire website, including our searchable archive of every back issue of Prospect, and a PDF edition of each new issue: all this for just £24 per year. Purchase an online subscription »Renewal
Renew an existing subscription »Institutional access
If you are a library, business organisation or any other large institution that needs a multi-user licence, you can obtain institutional access.Trouble Subscribing?
You can simple call or email our subscriptions bureau. Email: prospect@servicehelpline.co.uk Telephone UK: 0844 249 0486 Telephone Overseas: 01795 414 957
Share
Subscribe to post comments
Print
