Review: The Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature

I will confess: i skipped about four chapters. The three in which Pinker responds to political objections and the one chapter about art. the chapter about art felt out of place, and is 10 years out of date. The other three I skipped because I need no convincing: The Blank Slate is namely about how evolutionary psychology is true and the idea of "humans being born with blank minds" being testably untrue. Note, Pinker has never started out as an evolutionary psychologist. He is a linguist, and his study of language has lead him to evolutionary psychology. He talks about, when discussing children, that it is a useful theory. The book has lots and lots of evidence, and about 30% of its pages are just notes and appendicies relating to these studies. I felt like Pinker was bringing his full on offensive game, and he pulls no punches. He trashes Margaret Mead and other "blank slatists" who he says deny human nature. It is a must read book for understanding human nature.