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1-Page Summary of The Blank Slate

Overall Summary

The book The Blank Slate, by Steven Pinker, argues against the idea that the mind is a blank slate. It shows that our brains come with certain universal attributes hardwired into it. He also discredits two related concepts—that of the Noble Savage and Ghost in Machine—and explains why they are not true.

Pinker argues that people in different academic fields have supported the idea of a Blank Slate to ensure that we free ourselves from long-standing prejudices and create a more egalitarian society. However, he finds that cognitive science does not support this premise. Instead, it shows us that we are united by certain universal qualities.

Steven Pinker shows that we have certain hardwired traits. We are also genetically inclined to favor our family over others and to have a shared sense of morality. However, it is possible to override these tendencies by understanding how they work and making conscious choices not to confuse them with careful decision-making.

In the final section of the book, Pinker explores five hot-button issues—politics, violence, gender, children and arts. He highlights how outdated today’s political ideas (from both the right and left) are in light of emerging science. He also explains that while violence is a part of human design, so is our ability to address it. On the topic of gender differences between men and women he declares they’re consistent with feminist thinking. And he addresses why parents have little direct effect on their offspring even though they have a moral duty to rear them

Pinker’s work is about the human condition and how we define ourselves.

Part 1: “The Blank Slate, the Noble Savage, and the Ghost in the Machine”

Steven Pinker starts his book by saying that everyone has a theory about human nature, which guides their lives. Most of these theories are religious in origin, such as the Judeo-Christian conception of human nature and Darwin’s evolutionary theory. Many people also believe in the Blank Slate—the idea that humans have no inherent structure and can be inscribed at will by society or themselves. This belief is very popular among intellectuals today.

Chapter 1: “The Official Theory”

The idea of the Blank Slate is attributed to John Locke. His philosophy, which opposed kings and slavery, was based on his concept of the Blank Slate — that people’s natures are not innate but instead shaped by experience. This idea has influenced social science and politics because it emphasizes how much people can change in their nature through experience.

The Blank Slate refers to a theory that the mind is born blank and is shaped by experience. It’s commonly paired with two related theories: The Noble Savage, which states that humans are innately good; and the Ghost in the Machine, which says that something other than biology makes us who we are.

Three philosophical ideas—the Blank Slate, the Noble Savage, and the Ghost in the Machine—have influenced how we think about human nature.

Chapter 2: “Silly Putty”

Pinker cites social scientists who believe that people are the result of stimuli and responses. They also think that cultures determine human behavior, rather than individual beliefs or desires. For example, Jose Ortega y Gasset wrote in 1935: “Man has no nature; what he has is history.” The metaphor used by these social scientists is not a blank slate but something like Silly Putty that can be molded at will.

Steven Pinker begins the chapter by quoting Danish philologist Otto Jespersen, who argues that English is a more mature language than Hawaiian because it uses more consonants. He also points out how 18th and 19th century thinkers obscured racism with scientific jargon. This led to eugenics in the early 20th century as people were convinced that certain races were inferior and needed to be exterminated.