Blank Slate

Name: Blank Slate
ISBN: 9787213076367

史蒂芬·平克Zhejiang People's Publishing House · ChinaDec 2021

4.3

Word count: 425K words
Chapters: 30
ISBN: 9787213076367

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Summary

A groundbreaking rebellion against mainstream theories of human nature—breaking down old assumptions to establish new meaning and morality, and to rebuild confidence in humanity. Illuminates the origins, content, and limits of human nature, traces the roots of human suffering, clears the fog of moral illusion, and arrives at the shores of reality. Confronts hotly debated topics in the science of human nature—politics, violence, gender, children, and art—revealing the forks in the road behind real-world conflicts and the universal values they share. A wondrous journey into human nature. The final volume of Steven Pinker's "Language and Human Nature" quartet.

Editor's review

Steven Pinker's The Blank Slate is a strikingly forceful book that challenges the doctrine of the "blank slate"—the long-dominant view in modern social science that the human mind is born empty and is shaped entirely by experience. Drawing on his deep grounding in cognitive science and evolutionary psychology, Pinker systematically refutes this idea through eloquent argument and a wealth of cross-disciplinary evidence, proposing instead that human nature has profound biological and evolutionary foundations. The book's value lies not only in its颠覆性 thesis but in Pinker's clear, rigorous, and persuasive manner of argumentation. He translates complex academic issues into language accessible to general readers without sacrificing depth or breadth. The discussions of violence, sex differences, and artistic creation offer richer perspectives for understanding human behavior. Reading The Blank Slate is an intellectual adventure and renovation; it forces us to reexamine many entrenched assumptions about education, politics, morality, and social policy. Pinker's arguments may provoke controversy, but the rational spirit grounded in scientific evidence is precisely what our era urgently needs. This book is not only for psychology enthusiasts; anyone interested in the fundamental question of what makes us human will find profound inspiration here.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers with a philosophical or scientific interest in the nature and origins of human nature
Students and researchers in psychology, sociology, or cognitive science
General readers seeking to understand the deep motivations behind human behavior
Readers who enjoy interdisciplinary thinking and are unsatisfied with single explanatory frameworks

Not a good fit for

Readers convinced that environment alone determines everything and resistant to biological perspectives
Readers who prefer light narrative and dread long rational arguments and academic discussion

Reading tips

Maintain an open mind while reading—don't rush to agree or disagree; first follow Pinker's logical progression step by step.
Read in conjunction with Pinker's other works (such as The Language Instinct and How the Mind Works) to grasp his intellectual system more fully.
The book draws on numerous research cases; consider taking notes to trace the core chain of evidence and key rebuttals in his argument.

About the publisher

Zhejiang People's Publishing House China · Founded in 1951

Zhejiang People's Publishing House is a comprehensive publisher known for its social science, history and foreign literature titles, covering philosophy, politics, law, economics, culture and history. Among the books in the library catalogue, its foreign literature list includes Yasunari Kawabata's Snow Country and The Old Capital in well-known translations, as well as Wuthering Heights; its history list is represented by Dangnian Mingyue's Ming Dynasty series, and its politics list by Zhejiang New Discourse. Authors represented include Yasunari Kawabata, Ye Weiqu, Tang Yuemei, Dangnian Mingyue, Emily Brontë and René Wellek, with Wellek's Theory of Literature (newly revised edition) among its titles in literary theory. Beyond these areas, the press also publishes works on literary appreciation and social culture, giving it a profile that combines classic translations, popular history and academic works. As publicly available information is limited, other details are not covered here.

版权信息
前言新科学正在揭开人性的奥秘
第一部分 “白板说”的兴起与挑战
01 三种流行的人性论
02 人性理论的前世今生
03 连接生物学与文化的四座桥梁
04 文化是有助于人类生存的一种独特设计
05 最后的抵抗
第二部分科学视角VS政治视角
06 两本著作引发的论战
07 三位一体
第三部分我们为什么不必为人性而担忧
08 不平等之忧
09 不完美之忧
10 决定主义之忧
11 虚无主义之忧
第四部分认识自我
12 触摸现实
13 人类认知能力的局限性
14 人类苦难的诸多根源
15 不可避免的道德错觉
第五部分敏感话题
16 政治
17 暴力
18 性别
19 儿童
20 艺术
结语人性，存在于艺术家的文字里
后记经受住了时间考验的《白板》
译者后记

FAQ

What is the core argument of this book?

The book's core argument refutes the "blank slate" doctrine, demonstrating that the human mind is not born empty but is composed of complex structures shaped by evolution, and that human nature has inherent, biologically based components.

Does reading this book require strong professional knowledge?

No. Although Pinker cites extensive academic research, his exceptional writing makes complex concepts clear and accessible, suitable for general readers with patience and curiosity.

Does the book's argument amount to a defense of inequality or violence?

Not at all. Pinker makes clear that recognizing the biological foundations of human nature is precisely what enables more rational and effective social policies to improve the human condition—not an excuse for the status quo. What he opposes is erroneously deriving value judgments from biological facts.

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About the author

史蒂芬·平克 Author

Steven Pinker is a scholar-author known for his work on language and the human mind, whose books are shelved in Chinese reading circles under social psychology, applied psychology, social science, and language and writing. The collection holds 14 of his works, spanning the language instinct, the evolution of mind, human nature, and rationalist enlightenment; representative titles include The Language Instinct, How the Mind Works, The Blank Slate, The Stuff of Thought, Common Knowledge, and Enlightenment Now. He is adept at using clear conceptual analysis and abundant everyday examples to make questions in linguistics, cognitive science, and moral philosophy readable and argumentative, combining academic rigor with an accessible style for general readers. As public information on his birth and death dates and nationality is limited, no speculation is offered here; readers may enter discussions of language, mind, and enlightenment through his works.