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The Blank Slate
- The Modern Denial of Human Nature
- Narrated by: Victor Bevine
- Length: 22 hrs and 40 mins
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The Better Angels of Our Nature
- Why Violence Has Declined
- Written by: Steven Pinker
- Narrated by: Arthur Morey
- Length: 36 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
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Faced with the ceaseless stream of news about war, crime, and terrorism, one could easily think we live in the most violent age ever seen. Yet as New York Times bestselling author Steven Pinker shows in this startling and engaging new work, just the opposite is true: violence has been diminishing for millennia and we may be living in the most peaceful time in our species's existence.
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Better read than listened to
- By Mike Reiter on 2018-01-02
Written by: Steven Pinker
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How the Mind Works
- Written by: Steven Pinker
- Narrated by: Mel Foster
- Length: 26 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
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In this delightful, acclaimed bestseller, one of the world’s leading cognitive scientists tackles the workings of the human mind. What makes us rational—and why are we so often irrational? How do we see in three dimensions? What makes us happy, afraid, angry, disgusted, or sexually aroused? Why do we fall in love? And how do we grapple with the imponderables of morality, religion, and consciousness?
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great, but slow at times
- By ben kuzmich on 2018-07-07
Written by: Steven Pinker
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The Stuff of Thought
- Language as a Window into Human Nature
- Written by: Steven Pinker
- Narrated by: Dean Olsher
- Length: 9 hrs and 36 mins
- Abridged
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In The Stuff of Thought, Steven Pinker marries two of the subjects he knows best: language and human nature. The result is a fascinating look at how our words explain our nature. What does swearing reveal about our emotions? Why does innuendo disclose something about relationships? Pinker reveals how our use of prepositions and tenses taps into peculiarly human concepts of space and time, and how our nouns and verbs speak to our notions of matter.
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It’s not in Steven Pinkers written words
- By lori Nixon on 2019-05-05
Written by: Steven Pinker
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The Language Instinct
- How the Mind Creates Language
- Written by: Steven Pinker
- Narrated by: Arthur Morey
- Length: 18 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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In this classic, the world’s expert on language and mind lucidly explains everything you always wanted to know about language: how it works, how children learn it, how it changes, how the brain computes it, and how it evolved. With deft use of examples of humor and wordplay, Steven Pinker weaves our vast knowledge of language into a compelling story: language is a human instinct, wired into our brains by evolution. The Language Instinct received the William James Book Prize from the American Psychological Association....
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Fantastic! ...but not as an audiobook.
- By Alexandre L'Écuyer on 2019-06-26
Written by: Steven Pinker
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Rationality
- What It Is, Why It Seems Scarce, Why It Matters
- Written by: Steven Pinker
- Narrated by: Arthur Morey
- Length: 11 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
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In the 21st century, humanity is reaching new heights of scientific understanding - and at the same time appears to be losing its mind. How can a species that developed vaccines for COVID-19 in less than a year produce so much fake news, medical quackery, and conspiracy theorizing? Pinker rejects the cynical cliché that humans are an irrational species - cavemen out of time saddled with biases, fallacies, and illusions.
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Dull and Underwhelming .
- By Kindle Customer on 2021-10-21
Written by: Steven Pinker
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Enlightenment Now
- The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress
- Written by: Steven Pinker
- Narrated by: Arthur Morey
- Length: 19 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
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Is the world really falling apart? Is the ideal of progress obsolete? In this elegant assessment of the human condition in the third millennium, cognitive scientist and public intellectual Steven Pinker urges us to step back from the gory headlines and prophecies of doom, which play to our psychological biases. Instead, follow the data: Pinker shows that life, health, prosperity, safety, peace, knowledge, and happiness are on the rise, not just in the West but worldwide.
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Intellectual optimistic Steven Pinker did it again
- By Justin Greeno on 2018-04-07
Written by: Steven Pinker
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The Better Angels of Our Nature
- Why Violence Has Declined
- Written by: Steven Pinker
- Narrated by: Arthur Morey
- Length: 36 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Faced with the ceaseless stream of news about war, crime, and terrorism, one could easily think we live in the most violent age ever seen. Yet as New York Times bestselling author Steven Pinker shows in this startling and engaging new work, just the opposite is true: violence has been diminishing for millennia and we may be living in the most peaceful time in our species's existence.
-
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Better read than listened to
- By Mike Reiter on 2018-01-02
Written by: Steven Pinker
-
How the Mind Works
- Written by: Steven Pinker
- Narrated by: Mel Foster
- Length: 26 hrs and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this delightful, acclaimed bestseller, one of the world’s leading cognitive scientists tackles the workings of the human mind. What makes us rational—and why are we so often irrational? How do we see in three dimensions? What makes us happy, afraid, angry, disgusted, or sexually aroused? Why do we fall in love? And how do we grapple with the imponderables of morality, religion, and consciousness?
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great, but slow at times
- By ben kuzmich on 2018-07-07
Written by: Steven Pinker
-
The Stuff of Thought
- Language as a Window into Human Nature
- Written by: Steven Pinker
- Narrated by: Dean Olsher
- Length: 9 hrs and 36 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In The Stuff of Thought, Steven Pinker marries two of the subjects he knows best: language and human nature. The result is a fascinating look at how our words explain our nature. What does swearing reveal about our emotions? Why does innuendo disclose something about relationships? Pinker reveals how our use of prepositions and tenses taps into peculiarly human concepts of space and time, and how our nouns and verbs speak to our notions of matter.
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It’s not in Steven Pinkers written words
- By lori Nixon on 2019-05-05
Written by: Steven Pinker
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The Language Instinct
- How the Mind Creates Language
- Written by: Steven Pinker
- Narrated by: Arthur Morey
- Length: 18 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this classic, the world’s expert on language and mind lucidly explains everything you always wanted to know about language: how it works, how children learn it, how it changes, how the brain computes it, and how it evolved. With deft use of examples of humor and wordplay, Steven Pinker weaves our vast knowledge of language into a compelling story: language is a human instinct, wired into our brains by evolution. The Language Instinct received the William James Book Prize from the American Psychological Association....
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Fantastic! ...but not as an audiobook.
- By Alexandre L'Écuyer on 2019-06-26
Written by: Steven Pinker
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Rationality
- What It Is, Why It Seems Scarce, Why It Matters
- Written by: Steven Pinker
- Narrated by: Arthur Morey
- Length: 11 hrs and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
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Performance
-
Story
In the 21st century, humanity is reaching new heights of scientific understanding - and at the same time appears to be losing its mind. How can a species that developed vaccines for COVID-19 in less than a year produce so much fake news, medical quackery, and conspiracy theorizing? Pinker rejects the cynical cliché that humans are an irrational species - cavemen out of time saddled with biases, fallacies, and illusions.
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Dull and Underwhelming .
- By Kindle Customer on 2021-10-21
Written by: Steven Pinker
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Enlightenment Now
- The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress
- Written by: Steven Pinker
- Narrated by: Arthur Morey
- Length: 19 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
-
Story
Is the world really falling apart? Is the ideal of progress obsolete? In this elegant assessment of the human condition in the third millennium, cognitive scientist and public intellectual Steven Pinker urges us to step back from the gory headlines and prophecies of doom, which play to our psychological biases. Instead, follow the data: Pinker shows that life, health, prosperity, safety, peace, knowledge, and happiness are on the rise, not just in the West but worldwide.
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Intellectual optimistic Steven Pinker did it again
- By Justin Greeno on 2018-04-07
Written by: Steven Pinker
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The Blind Watchmaker
- Why the Evidence of Evolution Reveals a Universe Without Design
- Written by: Richard Dawkins
- Narrated by: Richard Dawkins, Lalla Ward
- Length: 14 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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The Blind Watchmaker, knowledgably narrated by author Richard Dawkins, is as prescient and timely a book as ever. The watchmaker belongs to the 18th-century theologian William Paley, who argued that just as a watch is too complicated and functional to have sprung into existence by accident, so too must all living things, with their far greater complexity, be purposefully designed. Charles Darwin's brilliant discovery challenged the creationist arguments; but only Richard Dawkins could have written this elegant riposte.
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Excellent Discussion
- By Langer MD on 2020-02-23
Written by: Richard Dawkins
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A Human History of Emotion
- How the Way We Feel Built the World We Know
- Written by: Richard Firth-Godbehere
- Narrated by: Richard Firth-Godbehere
- Length: 11 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
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In A Human History of Emotion, Richard Firth-Godbehere takes listeners on a fascinating and wide ranging tour of the central and often under-appreciated role emotions have played in human societies around the world and throughout history — from Ancient Greece to Gambia, Japan, the Ottoman Empire, the United States, and beyond.
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changed how i saw the world
- By Anonymous User on 2022-11-09
Written by: Richard Firth-Godbehere
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The Righteous Mind
- Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion
- Written by: Jonathan Haidt
- Narrated by: Jonathan Haidt
- Length: 11 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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In The Righteous Mind, social psychologist Jonathan Haidt explores the origins of our divisions and points the way forward to mutual understanding. His starting point is moral intuition - the nearly instantaneous perceptions we all have about other people and the things they do. These intuitions feel like self-evident truths, making us righteously certain that those who see things differently are wrong. Haidt shows us how these intuitions differ across cultures, including the cultures of the political left and right.
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Interesting listen, repetitive
- By Pablo on 2018-06-30
Written by: Jonathan Haidt
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The Sense of Style
- The Thinking Person's Guide to Writing in the 21st Century
- Written by: Steven Pinker
- Narrated by: Arthur Morey
- Length: 12 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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In The Sense of Style, the best-selling linguist and cognitive scientist Steven Pinker answers these questions and more. Rethinking the usage guide for the 21st century, Pinker doesn’t carp about the decline of language or recycle pet peeves from the rulebooks of a century ago. Instead, he applies insights from the sciences of language and mind to the challenge of crafting clear, coherent, and stylish prose.
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Grammar for days
- By Julie on 2018-08-21
Written by: Steven Pinker
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On Language
- Chomsky's Classic Works 'Language and Responsibility' and 'Reflections on Language'
- Written by: Noam Chomsky, Mitsou Ronat
- Narrated by: Fajer Al-Kaisi
- Length: 14 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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Described by the New York Times as "arguably the most important intellectual alive," Noam Chomsky is known throughout the world for his highly influential writings on language and politics. Featuring two of Chomsky's most popular and enduring books in one omnibus volume, On Language contains some of the noted linguist and political critic's most informal and accessible work to date, making it an ideal introduction to his thought.
Written by: Noam Chomsky, and others
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Human Diversity
- The Biology of Gender, Race, and Class
- Written by: Charles Murray
- Narrated by: David Baker
- Length: 14 hrs and 15 mins
- Unabridged
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The thesis of Human Diversity is that advances in genetics and neuroscience are overthrowing an intellectual orthodoxy that has ruled the social sciences for decades. The core of the orthodoxy consists of three dogmas: Gender is a social construct. Race is a social construct. Class is a function of privilege. The problem is that all three dogmas are half-truths. They have stifled progress in understanding the rich texture that biology adds to our understanding of the social, political, and economic worlds we live in. It is not a story to be feared. But it is a story that needs telling.
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Great Information on Human Diversity
- By Geoff on 2020-12-06
Written by: Charles Murray
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SuperSense
- Why We Believe in the Unbelievable
- Written by: Bruce M. Hood
- Narrated by: Kerin McCue
- Length: 11 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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Director of the Bristol Cognitive Development Centre at the University of Bristol, Bruce M. Hood has been a research fellow at Cambridge, a visiting scientist at MIT, and a professor at Harvard. SuperSense is a fascinating exploration of the forces that shape people’s beliefs in the irrational - and also a compelling look at how these beliefs bind humans together in society.
Written by: Bruce M. Hood
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Think with Pinker
- How to Be a Better Critical Thinker
- Written by: Steven Pinker
- Narrated by: Steven Pinker, Various, Tim Harford, and others
- Length: 5 hrs and 29 mins
- Highlights
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Cognitive scientist Professor Steven Pinker has spent his life thinking about thinking, and now he wants us to join him. With the aid of his critical thinking toolkit, he hopes to help us make smarter choices, become more rational, gain a greater understanding of the confused world we live in—and maybe even become better citizens. In this fascinating series, produced in partnership with the Open University, he examines the different ways the human brain can be tripped up, from understanding probability to the difference between correlation and causation.
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Disappointing list of topics and depth
- By Anton Vikoch on 2022-12-29
Written by: Steven Pinker
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The Moral Animal
- Why We Are the Way We Are: The New Science of Evolutionary Psychology
- Written by: Robert Wright
- Narrated by: Greg Thornton
- Length: 16 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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Are men literally born to cheat? Does monogamy actually serve women's interests? These are among the questions that have made The Moral Animal one of the most provocative science books in recent years. Wright unveils the genetic strategies behind everything from our sexual preferences to our office politics - as well as their implications for our moral codes and public policies.
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Wright on
- By Amazon Customer on 2017-11-13
Written by: Robert Wright
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Islam and the Future of Tolerance
- A Dialogue
- Written by: Maajid Nawaz, Sam Harris
- Narrated by: Sam Harris, Maajid Nawaz
- Length: 3 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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In this short book, Sam Harris and Maajid Nawaz invite you to join an urgently needed conversation: Is Islam a religion of peace or war? Is it amenable to reform? Why do so many Muslims seem drawn to extremism? What do words like Islamism, jihadism, and fundamentalism mean in today's world? Remarkable for the breadth and depth of its analysis, this dialogue between a famous atheist and a former radical is all the more startling for its decorum. Harris and Nawaz have produced something genuinely new: they engage one of the most polarizing issues of our time - fearlessly and fully - and actually make progress.
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Must read for all Muslims
- By Amazon Customer on 2021-02-11
Written by: Maajid Nawaz, and others
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Superforecasting
- The Art and Science of Prediction
- Written by: Philip Tetlock, Dan Gardner
- Narrated by: Joel Richards
- Length: 9 hrs and 45 mins
- Unabridged
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Everyone would benefit from seeing further into the future, whether buying stocks, crafting policy, launching a new product, or simply planning the week's meals. Unfortunately, people tend to be terrible forecasters. As Wharton professor Philip Tetlock showed in a landmark 2005 study, even experts' predictions are only slightly better than chance. However, an important and underreported conclusion of that study was that some experts do have real foresight.
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loved it
- By Amazon Customer on 2022-05-26
Written by: Philip Tetlock, and others
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The Consuming Instinct
- What Juicy Burgers, Ferraris, Pornography, and Gift Giving Reveal About Human Nature
- Written by: Gad Saad, David M. Buss - foreword
- Narrated by: Matthew Josdal
- Length: 11 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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In this highly informative and entertaining book, the founder of the vibrant new field of evolutionary consumption illuminates the relevance of our biological heritage to our daily lives as consumers. While culture is important, the author shows that innate evolutionary forces deeply influence the foods we eat, the gifts we offer, the cosmetics and clothing styles we choose to make ourselves more attractive to potential mates, and even the cultural products that stimulate our imaginations (such as art, music, and religion).
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A work Genius
- By Niranmojo on 2021-03-21
Written by: Gad Saad, and others
Publisher's Summary
In The Blank Slate, Steven Pinker, one of the world's leading experts on language and the mind, explores the idea of human nature and its moral, emotional, and political colorings. With characteristic wit, lucidity, and insight, Pinker argues that the dogma that the mind has no innate traits - a doctrine held by many intellectuals during the past century - denies our common humanity and our individual preferences, replaces objective analyses of social problems with feel-good slogans, and distorts our understanding of politics, violence, parenting, and the arts.
Injecting calm and rationality into debates that are notorious for ax-grinding and mud-slinging, Pinker shows the importance of an honest acknowledgment of human nature based on science and common sense.
NOTE: Some changes to the original text have been made with the author's approval.
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Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Stéphane
- 2018-10-27
Fascinating study of human cognition
This book covers in very extensive and nuanced details how genetic factors may play a role in how we behave. Pinker makes no simllistic assertions here: genes play games and the emerging strategies express themselves as emotions, reflexes, biases, etc., all of which are susceptible of interaction with each other and the world, both physical and social.
Of all possible priors, assuming human behavior, cognition and psychology is biologically unbounded is at one extreme of an entire spectrum of possibilities. Pinker suggests the appeal of this idea might have grown out of horror for Nazi Germany and, indeed, nothing more explicitely emboddies disgusting human tendencies than Nazism. You want to flee far from that -- and the blank slate is as far as you can conceptually flee.
It is a great read for anyone interested in human behavior, though it curiously seems political in this day and age.
As far as I can tell, knowing how we behave is the best way to design successful solutions to our problems -- and Pinker once again puts his finger on a bleeding wound.
The nicest part about Pinker is that he leans relatively leftward, technically does study humanities and social sciences and is a college professor: it is hard to paint him genuinely in a bad light as he is commenting about his own circles.
It is a great read, even if you aren't interested in the problems that emerged recently on college campuses. How he ties biology to behavior is a very good and rather simple summary of scientific research. He also takes the time to explain the details of how we reach conclusions, so you get to understand the most important aspect of science: which questions to ask.
2 people found this helpful
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- Vladimir Druts
- 2018-03-10
Pinker is an intellectual Perseus.
Pinker is a modern day intellectual Perseus.
Not only is Pinker a strong writer; clear, concise and probing, he is masterful at the utilization of history to build strong and intriguing premises.
His breadth of knowledge of the world, philosophy and science, and his fascination with other important subjects outside of his main discipline make for a colorful and harrowing journey through time.
A wonderful reading of a true intellectual renaissance man.
In today's culture of extremes and group-think this book is a true beacon of light.
1 person found this helpful
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- Blue Bonobo
- 2022-12-01
Classic
Many mistakes are avoidable with a coherent understanding of human nature. This book is a must-read.
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- Zane Gates
- 2022-01-25
Thorough
Very thoroughly researched and written book. The subject matter of the book is basically in line with the type of insight/revelation/epiphany that one is likely to experience during a psychedelic trip. It's about some universal truths in the "nature of things" that can be easily felt on an intuitive level yet difficult to explain articulately. This book puts it all together in a succinct format. I don't imagine this is the type of book designed to change anyone's mind, but rather help you explain your position more accurately when you encounter people with silly beliefs about what we can change in our world.
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- Jon Cleveland
- 2021-07-16
used to love it but feels dated
2nd time going through this one. really enjoyed it when it came out. now I feel it to be a dated shot fired in the culture wars saga. When data is used its used well but after an anecdote or personal opinion your back to the same ol straw men and personal assumptions. its mostly just an opinion piece fortified by the odd study here and there to bolster it. many big claims not enough evidence.
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- Kevin A. Hodgins
- 2019-06-01
The current state of,… History, and Future, of Human Behavior - Explained!!! 🤯
While I am normally full of all sorts of remarks and unique anecdotes… Writing this review has perplexed me for the last hour – how to describe this book…? Words simply do not do justice to, nor can they describe, the importance and the impact of, the hidden truths so eloquently researched and described in this book. Not knowing this information will be perilous to your own personal, as well as your family genetics, survival... 😱
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- Karen
- 2019-05-22
Couldn't finish it
I've read other books by Steven Pinker but I've thoroughly enjoyed, such as The Language Instinct and The Better Angels of Iur Nature but I couldn't get through this one. I just didn't find it interesting.
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- Anton
- 2018-09-14
Very insightfult
This book provided a lot of unexpected ideas backed up by research data.
Listening to this recording made me feel calmer, more comfortable and honest about being myself: a mortal, scared, imperfect, doubtful and skeptical human being. In some cases I could say that a veil was lifted from my eyes, and I could see the world around me clearly.
Some thoughts and feelings that were lingering in the back for of my mind for years suddenly found nice and eloquent expression on the pages of this book.
#Audible1
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- ejf211
- 2010-03-31
Don't bother. Outdated science & poor logic...
This book is an emotionally charged mess. It was also published in 2002 and has become obsolete by new findings in neuroscience. Don't even bother.
Its hostile angry tone, a juvenile use of belittling language, and a full array of annoying logic that runs in circles would be enough to cause frustration. When you add to that a continuous misunderstanding of the latest findings of science and the arrogance to divine the future of science as well, it becomes unbearable.
Also, the book is about the classic "nature vs nurture" argument and he spends the majority of the time fighting and belittling an extreme "Nurture" stance that no one believes in anyway. This stance makes his arguments out of touch with the reader, who is left asking him to move on. But Steven is stuck. It feels like someone with an emotional grudge, always making one more point, and misinterpreting the other side at every turn. The number of straw man fallacies and other spin tactics that are present here are simply too many to count.
60 people found this helpful
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- Robert
- 2009-12-29
The Blank Slate
I sometimes find a book that is so eloquently written, I enjoy reading it even if the concepts are too far beyond me to fully comprehend what the words are trying to tell me. This could be that kind of book except that also it is so clearly written, I may actually understand what the author was trying to convey. It is one thing to be a language expert and quite another to be a great author. I think that this book proves Pinker to be both.
56 people found this helpful
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- C. J. Hamilton
- 2010-04-14
Instant classic
The intellectual vigour demonstrated by Pinker is amazing. He spans a field so wide that most other would have problems keeping any depth, but not here.
Pinker deals with many of the most fundamental philosophical and political issues both with attention to detail and a constant reference to the whole.
It is a tough listen, and I found myself repeatedly rewind and listen to chapters again, to make sure I got it all. I have also bought the paper version, as it is easier to use for quick referencing.
Possibly the book could have been shorter. A version 1/3 of the length would catch most of the argument but with fewer examples, and that would probably suffice for most readers.
As an academic, Pinker is a true inspiration for me to get out of bed earlier, work harder, and examine my subjects more carefully. He truly sets a standard of his own in this field.
54 people found this helpful
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- Steve
- 2010-05-27
One of the most important books our time !
I give this audio book my HIGHEST recommendation! The material is erudite and intellectually difficult at times, but I challenge you to listen to this book (possibly over-and-over again) and see if it doesn't open your mind to a whole new way of observing and UNDERSTANDING yourself and the world (people) around you.
I read "The Blank Slate" several years ago when it was first published and I was ELATED to now be able to enjoy it again in an unabridged audio format. This book is exceedingly important, as it gives one a very deep, new, understanding of human nature. Pinker is an amazing and rare intellectual power-house and is able to bring together the works of various scholars in myriad scientific disciplines and weave all this information together into a logical, cohesive and comprehensive perspective on human nature.
Pinker's book is made even more engaging and enjoyable by Audible's production quality and most notably, by their choice of Victor Bevine as this book's narrator. Bevine is simply the perfect narrator for this material! The timbre of his voice, along with his cadence, diction and pronunciations are nearly flawless!
I now only wish Bevine had also narrated Pinker's other book on Audible - "The Stuff of Thoughts" :-(
My only tiny complaint with this book has always been that its title is completely inappropriate and misleading. This book is not defending the theory of the "blank slate" nor is it a "modern denial of human nature"; Its subject and goal are EXACTLY THE OPPOSITE!
To me, giving the book such a misleading title is at the least, a matter of very poor judgment and at its worst, is under-handed and a bit smarmy. Even so; forget this book's misleading title, and just dive into and thoroughly enjoy one of the most important scientific books of our time!
48 people found this helpful
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- Carolyn
- 2014-05-30
Excellent, as expected
I bought this as an audiobook so I would actually have time to read it - my husband read it several years ago and has been encouraging me to do so as well ever since, but although it's sitting on our bookshelf it never actually got read. Since I read Pinker's Better Angels of Our Nature by listening to the audiobook (and loved it), I thought I'd try the same with The Blank Slate.
I found reading this book to be a little like reading The Selfish Gene (which I did read in print), since, like that book, The Blank Slate was written to eliminate the residual shown-to-be-incorrect theories that were preventing good research from being done and/or being accepted in the author's field - in Dawkins' case, biology, and in Pinker's, social science. So, if you have some background in social science, this book won't contain too many surprises for you, but it is a great demonstration about just how much we know - even over a decade ago when the book was written - about nature versus nurture and how large a role nature plays.
This is a very accessible book for anyone, since it doesn't talk down to the reader (a pet peeve of mine) but it does describe things well in plain language and doesn't use jargon without explaining it first. I'm having a baby in a little over a month and it was good to read this book because it reminds parents that they cannot shape much of their children's personalities (except by giving them genes) and that being a good parent is enough - don't let marketers or "experts" fool you into thinking you have to be supermom or superdad to have a happy, smart, well-adjusted kid. You can teach your kid skills, like reading, but you can't change innate things about them like how extroverted they are.
Overall, I enjoyed the content and I found the narration easy to listen to. Five stars all around.
39 people found this helpful
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- Frank
- 2011-02-25
Great book from an amazing polymath author
The scope of this book is extremely wide but centered on how the Blank Slate (i.e., the concept that babies have no innate traits and are totally shaped by environment, especially homelife) has permeated our views of many issues, despite being thoroughly discredited by scientific research.
Dr. Pinker examines such varied phenomena as pay disparities between men and women, the decline of popular interest in art, the effect of parenting styles on childhood development, why violence is related to the concept of honor for inner city youth and the Mafia, and many other topics. In each case, he approaches each issue logically but often in a way that is at first counter-intuitive.
His main point is that we need to reject the dogma of the Blank Slate to get at truth. He also examines how those who reject this dogma can be excoriated by the narrow-minded intellectual elite who wish to promote a scientifically unfounded utopian political agenda.
I loved this book and highly recommend it to anyone interested in this subject. I cannot remember being more influenced by a book I have read.
37 people found this helpful
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- Mary
- 2010-08-12
Pinker is no thinker
If there is any justification to the dustjacket claim Pinker is one of the world's 100 most influential thinkers, it is based on his talk show appearances, not his standing among peers. His basic thesis is that recent scientific discoveries have proven social conservatives right about the need for military buildup, a get-tough approach to crime, strict parenting, etc. Affirmative action is a waste of time because it tries to change behaviour that is hard wired into our genes. America and the other countries most like it are the pinnacle of human evolution, because, well, evolution has produced them and therefore they must be a true expression of the unchangeable programming carried in our genes. No wonder Time put him on its cover.
32 people found this helpful
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- Scott
- 2010-04-15
Excellent read on Human Nature
This is a long book, but Victor Bevine's narration is excellent and keeps it from getting boring even as the author covers topics that did not interest me. For someone interested in learning about human nature and how it applies to our society, this is a great read.
26 people found this helpful
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- Jim Lloyd
- 2011-03-05
Excellent book, mixed reading
The book is superb. The other reviews criticizing the science presented by Pinker sound like sour grapes to me. Yes, Pinker is sharply critical of some scientists that were were committed to the idealogy of the blank slate. The examples cited are cases where these scientists used political methods to slander the work of the other scientist who were succeeding in disproving the idealogy. Pinker presented the works and actions of these scientists and showed them to be absurd. This happens several times throughout the book, but the book is full of positive science that has improved my understanding of many facets of human nature.
The reading is mixed. For the most part, I like Bevine's voice and feel it fits well the intellectual nature of the book. But there are times I think Bevine put too much scorn in his intonation, making Pinker's objective criticisms take on a subjective tone, which I think is a disservice.
22 people found this helpful
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- Gary
- 2012-05-21
Once again a Pinker book changed my world view.
The book really opened my eyes about how we learn and become who we are. I had previously just accepted the various interruptions of the the noble savage, the ghost in the machine and the blank slate. Pinker demolishes and demonstrates why those interruptions are misleading, and you will realize why Pinker is called one of the only linguists who can write in prose.
13 people found this helpful