The Blank Slate: Steven Pinker on the Nature/Nurture Debate

It’s deeply satisfying to encounter a voice that validates what you’ve been observing and recording for much of your life—especially when those insights have often felt at odds with the prevailing cultural current.

When it comes to raising children, many (if not most) parents wonder how much of their child's personality and behavior comes from nature and how much from nurture. What seems obvious to us and many others seems oblivious to "experts" who deny what is plainly apparent. 

This is no doubt the reason Steven Pinker wrote his book, The Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature (2002). Pinker here challenges the idea that the human mind is a "blank slate" shaped entirely by environment and culture. He argues against the prevailing doctrines of the time—rooted in the philosophies of thinkers like John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau—that human behavior is infinitely malleable and free from innate biological influences. Pinker asserts that these views, which he calls the Blank Slate, the Noble Savage, and the Ghost in the Machine, have been used to deny the role of human nature in shaping who we are, often with harmful consequences for science, policy, and society.

Pinker begins by outlining the Blank Slate doctrine, which posits that humans are born without innate traits, and all behavior is learned through socialization. As I've already said, this is patently silly. We identified differences in our son and daughter within the first minutes of their lives outside the womb. Their emerging personalities were distinct throughout their childhoods. 

Our beliefs about the nature/nurture debate were something that could be observed everywhere my wife and I looked. Our view (this is not an original idea) was that child development is something like developing photographs is a darkroom. You can start with inferior quality film but create incredible images through the right skills in the darkroom. Similarly you can start with a best high-quality film and do a botch job in the darkroom. 

This is where Pinker stands. He traces the appeal of Blank Slate to political and moral ideologies that favor equality and social reform but argues that it (Blank Slate ideology) ignores evidence from biology, psychology, and neuroscience. He contrasts this with the concept of human nature, which he defines as the universal, biologically grounded capacities and tendencies that shape human cognition, emotions, and behavior.

The book also explores how the denial of human nature has influenced other fields. In science, it has led to resistance against research in genetics and evolutionary psychology. In politics, it has fueled extreme ideologies, both left and right, by promoting unrealistic views of human potential or justifying harmful social engineering. Pinker critiques the fear that acknowledging innate differences—such as between sexes or individuals—will lead to inequality or discrimination, arguing instead that understanding human nature can foster compassion and better policies.

Drawing on evidence from evolutionary biology, cognitive science, and behavioral genetics, Pinker highlights key aspects of human nature: universal traits like language acquisition, emotions, and social behaviors, as well as individual differences in intelligence, personality, and talents. He discusses how twin studies and other research show that genes play a significant role in shaping who we are. He also addresses controversial topics like violence, parenting, and gender differences.

Pinker refutes the Noble Savage idea—that humans are inherently peaceful and corrupted only by society—by citing evidence of violence in pre-modern societies. For me, his section brought to mind The Greening of America (1970) in which Robert Reich said the children of this generation will gentler, less violent and other such La La Land nonsense. (This miracle will take place when?)

Pinker also critiques the Ghost in the Machine, the notion of a soul or free will detached from biology, emphasizing that the mind arises from the brain’s physical processes. However, he argues this does not diminish morality or free will but grounds them in a realistic understanding of human capacities and shortcomings. 

Ultimately, Pinker writes with a secular voice that advocates for a science-based view of human nature, embracing both our shared traits and individual differences. He believes this perspective can lead to more humane policies, better education, and a deeper appreciation of art, culture, and ethics. The book concludes with a call to move beyond ideological fears of biology and to use knowledge of human nature to improve society while respecting individual dignity.

 

Bottom Line

The Blank Slate is a rigorous defense of the idea that human nature is a fundamental reality that should inform, rather than undermine, our efforts to understand ourselves and build a better world.

IdeaSpotting

"Curiosity is one of the most permanent and certain characteristics of a vigorous mind." ~ Samuel Johnson

When I read Sam Harrison's IdeaSpotting in 2008, it was as good as I anticipated. His approach to the material is itself handled creatively. The pages are designed in an original manner. It is not a typical "book" in the sense of having only words on the pages. Every page is a new layout, appealing to the eye, though thematically it holds together and the design does not interfere with the message.

 

On page 25 the heading is, "Open your mind, and people will show you what's on their minds." He quotes Clint Eastwood: "Once you feel you know everything, you're done. You're either repetitive or boring, or both."

 

This notion reminded me of my college days when we'd sit or lie around on the college green at Ohio University talking about the meaning of life. There was this one fellow there who always said the same thing. "We're born, we procreate, and then we die." The first time he said it was cool, it seemed sort of a nugget to chew on. He had a professorial attitude, deep voice, beard and avant garde dark shades with turtleneck look. On another occasion we were discussing something and he was there. The only words he spoke were, "We're born, we procreate, and then we die." Months later, again the same.

 

Evidently he had had a profound LSD experience and "figured out the universe" and knew all he needed to know, because he'd definitely become repetitive and boring. The "cool" mystique that we originally saw in him never went beyond being a veneer. He was a guy you couldn't get to know. And he wasn't interested in getting to know us. He became as captivating as a broken record.

 

If we want to learn new things, we need to explore the world around us, and inside others... to listen and hear and see in new ways. Ask questions. Pay attention. And "maybe even eavesdrop." There are new things to discover all around you. This is the fodder for new ideas. And underneath it all you may even hear gentle rumbles of the voice of God.

BONUS TRACK

Three Quotes about Curiosty

"I am neither especially clever nor especially gifted. I am only very, very curious." – Albert Einstein 

"The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity." 
– Dorothy Parker 

 “Old age begins when curiosity ends.”– Saramego

 

The Power of Anticipation: Unlocking Greatness in Sports, Business, and Life

About 15 years ago I spent some time thinking about the attributes of greatness in athletes. Is there a common denominator in great hitters, great infielders, great goalies in soccer or hockey, great quarterbacks in football and great race car drivers. And is there a way to apply this attribute to the way we run our own businesses so that they, too, rise above the herd and exhibit greatness?

Aaron Rogers, Creative Commons
Photo by Mike Morbeck

Let’s start with football. One chapter in Brian Billick’s More Than A Game addresses the challenge of picking first round draft picks during the football draft, and in particular the near impossibility of predicting whether a quarterback will succeed in the pros after an outstanding college career. A full fifty percent of all first round picked quarterbacks fail to live up to their potential. Why is this? At time I was writing this in 2009 I'd been watching Aaron Rogers of the Green Bay Packers who was having another stellar season. What was Rogers doing that lesser quarterbacks were not?  

In baseball, what made Derek Jeter a superstar? It wasn’t just charisma. How did a great hitter like Albert Pujols snag a ten-year contract worth more than a quarter billion dollars. How about goalkeepers in soccer, or the National Hockey League? What do the best do that the rest do not? What about champion race car drivers? At the NASCAR level they all have to be good. Is there a quality that sets the best apart from the rest?

 

There are undoubtedly many qualities that contribute to success, but one in particular that seems especially common to all is the ability to anticipate. Alertness, focus, anticipation. Here’s an excerpt from a blog called Axon Potential which deals with the mindset of athletes. 

Based on athletes’ reports and technology that tracks their eye movements, we know that athletes anticipate what’s coming next by focusing only on the most relevant cues in an opponents’ movement pattern. And that this skill changes and becomes refined with training. The eyes of novices are all over the place, whereas athletes’ focus is much more targeted and economical. Across a number of different sports, expert athletes demonstrate similar “visual search strategies”. Their eyes focus on fewer targets, jump around less, and they stay focused for longer periods of time than do the eyes of novices.

This is a fascinating concept because in a world filled with a gazillion pieces of information flying at us from all directions, how do we process it all? The key for Aaron Rogers when he faces down eleven defenders has more to do with which information not to process, and identifying the right cues so as to obtain the most effective result. Crowd noise and stunt maneuvers by defensive linemen are all distractions. Perhaps the success in a scoring touchdown pass revolves around what he sees in a single linebacker’s eyes.

Goalkeepers in soccer and hockey operate in high-stakes, high-speed environments where anticipation is critical. A soccer goalkeeper facing a penalty kick or a hockey goalie stopping a slapshot must predict the shooter’s intent based on subtle cues—body position, head tilt, or stick angle. The best goalkeepers don’t just react; they anticipate, positioning themselves a fraction of a second ahead of the play. Their refined visual search strategies allow them to focus on these cues while ignoring irrelevant distractions, such as crowd noise or feints, resulting in more consistent saves.

In NASCAR, where all drivers are skilled and cars are closely matched, anticipation is what separates the champions from the rest. Elite drivers anticipate track conditions, competitors’ moves, and even split-second changes in aerodynamics. They read the race’s flow—knowing when to draft, pass, or conserve fuel—by focusing on critical cues like a rival’s line or tire wear. Like other athletes, their ability to process only the most relevant information in a high-speed, high-pressure environment gives them an edge.

The concept of anticipation as a critical attribute of greatness in athletes across various sports but has relevance for our own lives far outside the arena. The principle of anticipation, as seen in elite athletes, has profound applications in business. Just as athletes filter out noise to focus on critical cues, business leaders must navigate a world overflowing with data, market trends, and competing priorities. The ability to anticipate—whether it’s market shifts, customer needs, or competitive moves—can elevate a business above the herd.

In practice, this means developing a disciplined focus on the most relevant signals. For example, a CEO might anticipate industry trends by focusing on emerging customer behaviors rather than getting lost in short-term financial metrics. A startup founder could prioritize a few key performance indicators (KPIs) that predict long-term growth, ignoring less impactful data. Like Aaron Rodgers ignoring crowd noise, business leaders must filter out distractions—such as media hype or irrelevant industry fads—to make strategic decisions. 

Moreover, anticipation in business involves preparing for multiple scenarios. Just as  goalkeepers position themselves before a shot, businesses can use predictive analytics or scenario planning to stay ahead of disruptions. For instance, companies that anticipated the rise of e-commerce or remote work before 2020 gained a competitive edge. By focusing on the right cues—customer preferences, technological advancements, or economic indicators—businesses can position themselves for greater success, much like elite athletes.

In our personal lives, anticipation can transform how we approach challenges and opportunities. Just as athletes focus on what matters most, individuals can achieve greater success by prioritizing meaningful goals and filtering out distractions. For example, in a world of constant notifications and social media noise, anticipation means identifying what truly aligns with your values and tuning out the rest. This might mean setting boundaries, like limiting screen time, to focus on high-impact activities, such as learning a new skill or deepening connections.

Anticipation also applies to emotional and mental resilience. By recognizing early signs of stress or burnout—subtle cues like irritability or fatigue—you can take proactive steps, such as practicing mindfulness or adjusting workloads, before problems escalate. Like a NASCAR driver reading the track, anticipating life’s challenges allows you to navigate them with greater control and confidence.

Ultimately, the ability to anticipate is a learnable skill that requires practice, reflection, and discipline. By training ourselves to focus on the most relevant cues in our environment—whether in sports, business, or life—we can rise above the ordinary and achieve greatness. Just as Aaron Rodgers, Derek Jeter, or a champion goalkeeper hones their craft through targeted focus, we can cultivate anticipation to make smarter decisions, seize opportunities, and lead extraordinary lives.

Where's the focus of your life right now? 

Crimes Attributed to "The Unabomber" Ted Kaczynski, Plus His Motives

If read Elmore Leonard's crime fiction, you realize that a lot of criminals are not all that bright. Of course the showdowns nearly always come to a head with the very smartest and most lethal bad guy facing off with the quick-thinking hero who's notches on his gun were put their with brains, not brawn. 

Ted Kaczynski, a.k.a. the Unabomber, was obviously a criminal very different from the dimwit pattern. In addition to smarts, he was evidently very patient. 

In addition to being a domestic terrorist, Kaczynski was a mathematician. He was responsible for a series of bombings between 1978 and 1995. Here are the results of his actions:

• 16 Bombing Incidents: Kaczynski mailed or hand-delivered 16 bombs targeting individuals and institutions associated with technology, universities, and airlines.
• Fatalities: Three people were killed:
• Hugh Scrutton (1985), a computer store owner, killed by a bomb in Sacramento, California.
• Thomas Mosser (1994), an advertising executive, killed by a mail bomb in North Caldwell, New Jersey.
• Gilbert Murray (1995), president of the California Forestry Association, killed by a bomb in Sacramento, California.
• Injuries: 23 people were injured across various incidents, including:
• A security officer injured at the University of Illinois in 1978 (first known Unabomber attack).
• A researcher injured at Northwestern University in 1979.
• Passengers suffering smoke inhalation from a bomb on an American Airlines flight in 1979.
• United Airlines President Percy Woods, injured by a bomb in 1980.
• Dr. Charles Epstein and Dr. David Gelernter, severely injured by mail bombs in 1993.
• Federal Charges: Kaczynski was indicted on 10 counts, including:
• Transportation, mailing, and use of bombs.
• First-degree murder for the deaths of Scrutton, Mosser, and Murray.
• Mailing explosives with intent to kill or injure (e.g., Epstein and Gelernter cases).
• Other Impacts: His campaign caused widespread fear, disrupted air travel, and led to heightened mail security measures.

These crimes, spanning nearly two decades, targeted individuals Kaczynski believed were advancing technology and industrialization, to which he was opposed. These were his crimes, but why did he do them? The answer was made public in a 1995 manifesto published in the New York Times. 

This week, as I reflected on our somewhat chaotic times, I wondered what the concerns of The Unabomber were. Here's a summary generated by X.com's LLM AI Grok.

New York Times' Published Statement on Kaczynski’s Motives

Ted Kaczynski's handwritten manifesto

Ted Kaczynski's 35,000-word manifesto was titled Industrial Society and Its Future. In it Kaczynski argued that the Industrial Revolution and modern technology were eroding human freedom and autonomy, creating a society where individuals are subservient to machines and systems. He believed industrialization dehumanized people, destroyed the natural environment, and imposed a sociopolitical order that suppressed individual agency. 

His primary motive was to spark a revolution against this technological system, which he saw as a threat to humanity’s future. He rejected both leftism and fascism, advocating for a return to a primitive, pre-industrial way of life through violent means if necessary. Kaczynski justified his bombings as a way to draw attention to these issues and destabilize the technological society he despised, believing his actions could save humanity from the unchecked growth of technology and lead to a more natural, peaceful existence.

The publication of the manifesto, while controversial, proved pivotal to his capture, as it led to Kaczynski’s identification and arrest in 1996 after his brother recognized his writing style and alerted the FBI.

* * * 

Related Link
The Unabomber’s Brother Turned Him In. Then Spent 27 Years Trying to Win Him Back. (NYTimes, April 2025)

 

Healthy and Unhealthy Skepticism: Lessons from a Duck-Billed Platypus

No question about it, the duck-billed platypus is one strange creature. About the size of a pet cat, this weird furry mammal lays eggs like a reptile, has a snout like a duck’s bill, a flat tail like a beaver, webbed feet like a goose, and walks with legs out to the sides like a lizard. In addition, the male platypus has a venomous spike on its ankles which enables is to kill in self-defense.

No European had ever seen such a critter until 1797 when British explorers made their first sighting on the banks of a lake near the Hawkesbury River in New South Wales, Australia. The first record of the duck-billed platypus can be found in Lieutenant-Colonel David Collins’ “Account of the English Colony in New South Wales” in which he catalogues a whole host of strange creatures unique to the land Down Under. In great detail he described this most unusual new specimen.

The response in England was less than enthusiastic, though they can’t be faulted entirely. This was a creature too bizarre to be believed. The scientists back home decided it had to be a hoax. 

For much of my life I have been somewhat harsh in my judgment of these scientists. Their bumbling doubts and unbelief seem somewhat comical from our modern vantage point. But put yourself in their shoes. Not all of the treasures British sailors brought home from overseas were authentic. Chinese opportunists, for example, took mummified monkeys, cut their bodies in half at the waist and sewed them to the back ends of fish, selling them to these sailors as “mermaids.” They were very clever. (Nowadays we do it using our AI, and many folks are still fooled.)

So those scientists can’t be blamed for being somewhat skeptical. Ultimately, the whole thing is a matter of trust. I have no record here of what their thinking was. They may have believed the explorers were playing them for dupes. Hence, they distrusted this strange evidence of a creature unlike all others. Or, it may be they felt the explorers were good men who had themselves been duped.

Frankly, a healthy skepticism is not necessarily a bad thing. But at some point, keeping a closed mind to new ideas has its own risks and consequences. One of these risks is that we never learn anything new, or fail to believe something that’s true. Here are three key lessons or takeaways from this story:

Healthy Skepticism Must Be Balanced with Openness to New Possibilities

The British scientists’ initial disbelief in the platypus stemmed from a reasonable skepticism, given past hoaxes like the “mermaids” crafted by sewing monkey and fish parts together. However, their reluctance to accept the platypus as real highlights the risk of excessive skepticism, which can stifle discovery. This lesson teaches us that while critical thinking is essential to avoid being deceived, an overly rigid mindset can prevent us from embracing novel truths. Progress requires a willingness to consider evidence that challenges our preconceptions, even when it seems improbable.

Trust Plays a Crucial Role in Accepting New Ideas

The scientists’ skepticism may have arisen from distrust—either in the explorers’ credibility or in the possibility that the explorers themselves were deceived. This underscores the importance of trust in the process of knowledge-sharing. For new discoveries to be accepted, there must be a foundation of trust in the sources of information, whether they are explorers, scientists, or other witnesses. This lesson reminds us to evaluate the reliability of sources while remaining open to the possibility that trustworthy accounts can reveal extraordinary truths. 

While this anecdote has to with scientific discoveries, the lesson here about trust applies to media as well. Hence the saying, "Believe half of what you see and none of what you hear." The expression is extreme but the notion behind it makes sense. Finding reliable, trustworthy sources may take time, but the work is worth it. 

I myself try to make a habit to put new ideas on the shelf for continued reflection and consideration. This is a way to keep us from automatically discarding new ideas before having fully examined them. This goes for swallowing every new thing as well. "You know that what you eat you are," the Beatles sang. 

Embracing the Unknown Can Lead to Profound Learning

The platypus, with its bizarre combination of features, defied all known categories of animals at the time, challenging the scientific understanding of the natural world. The scientists’ initial rejection of it illustrates the danger of clinging to familiar frameworks at the expense of new knowledge. By eventually accepting the platypus, scientists expanded their understanding of the natural world. Embracing the unknown, even when it seems strange or improbable, can lead to significant breakthroughs and a deeper appreciation of the complexity of the world.

 

The Quirky Charm of Mental Floss

Originally published 28 September 2015

It's amazing how many different kinds of magazines there are. In the trade magazine category you will find mags like Engine Builder, Tire Business, and Golf Course Management. In fact, every industry from fishing to radio to hair styling has a publication. In the news category we find Newsweek, Time and World, among others. There are a host of financial magazines and then the pop culture mags like Us, People and... well the list goes on.

It's hard to imagine how people can come up with new magazine concepts, especially at a time when so many mags have been folding, but if you look around the magazine racks you will see new faces and titles popping up continuously. Look at all the new tattoo titles.

One of these off-the-beaten-path magazines that we used to get here in this household is a title called Mental Floss, now in its third year, I believe. They must have wondered what they were getting into starting a new publication one year before the collapse of the economy. But hey, they're still here, so they must be doing something right.

My take is that the mag is a cross between Trivial Pursuit and Comedy Central, entertaining but with just enough grits to make you feel like you're chewing on something. 

Here are some of the contents of The 10 Issue, volume 3, issue 2.

10 Movies That Changed the World

10 Great Prison Escapes

10 Things That Aren't Boring About Chemistry

My Nest or Yours?: 10 Pick-Up Tricks from Across the Animal Kingdom

10 Dramas That Caused Drama: Plays That Really Made a Scene

10 Child Prodigies (Who Actually Ended Up Doing Something)

10 Bright Ideas In Science

10 Not-So-Bright Ideas In Science

10 Ads Lost in Translation

and a few other miscellaneous distractions and deliberate diversions.

It's not drama. It's not straight-up comedy. It's not earth-shakingly important. But it is entertaining in so many various ways that each month offers something worth the weight. Or, wait...

Have a good read.

EdNote: Mental Floss is no longer a print publication,

but you can find it online here.

Almost Wordless Wednesday: The Milwaukee Art Museum

A few of the pieces that caught my attention.

The Quadracci Pavilion, as you enter the man entrance,

designed by the Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava.

 

Donald Judd. Untitled, 1981

Chuck Close

Kehinde Wiley.  St. Dionysus, 2006.

We caught one of the guards napping. 

It's a wonderful collection. Make time to check it out 

next time you are in Milwaukee.