The Blank Slate
E37506
The Blank Slate is a book by Steven Pinker that critiques the notion of human minds as entirely shaped by environment and argues for the significant role of innate human nature, making it a foundational text in evolutionary psychology debates.
Aliases (1)
Statements (50)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
book
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non-fiction book → popular science book → |
| author |
Steven Pinker
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|
| awards |
Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Science and Technology
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|
| centralClaim |
denial of human nature has political and moral consequences
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environmental and cultural factors interact with innate human nature → human nature is not a blank slate and includes innate predispositions → |
| countryOfOrigin |
United States
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|
| critiques |
blank slate view of the mind
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extreme social constructivism → nurture-only theories of human behavior → |
| fullTitle |
The Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature
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|
| genre |
cognitive science
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evolutionary psychology → philosophy of mind → political philosophy → psychology → |
| hasISBN |
978-0-670-03151-1
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|
| hasPart |
discussion of the blank slate doctrine
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discussion of the ghost in the machine doctrine → discussion of the noble savage doctrine → |
| hasSubject |
art and aesthetics
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behavioral genetics → blank slate theory → cognitive science → evolutionary psychology → feminism → human nature → moral philosophy → nature versus nurture → political ideology → social constructivism → violence and aggression → |
| influenced |
debates in evolutionary psychology
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discussions of human nature in philosophy → public discourse on nature versus nurture → |
| influencedBy |
Charles Darwin
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behavioral genetics → cognitive psychology → evolutionary theory → |
| language |
English
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|
| mediaType |
print
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|
| notableFor |
linking scientific views of human nature to politics and morality
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popularizing scientific arguments against the blank slate view → |
| pageCount |
approximately 500
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|
| publicationYear |
2002
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|
| publisher |
Viking Press
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|
| supports |
behavioral genetic evidence for heritability of traits
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evolutionary explanations of human behavior → |
Referenced by (3)
| Subject (surface form when different) | Predicate |
|---|---|
|
The Blank Slate
("The Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature")
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|
fullTitle |
|
evolutionary psychology
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hasKeyText |
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Steven Pinker
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notableWork |