Nov 2011 Update: Dr. Pinker’s newest book, published in October, struck some critics as a jackknife turn. In “The Better Angels of Our Nature” (Viking), he investigates one of the most primal aspects of life: violence.
Over the course of 802 pages, he argues that violence has fallen drastically over thousands of years — whether one considers homicide rates, war casualties as a percentage of national populations, or other measures. Read More.
I read this book (The Blank Slate by Steven Pinker) in a Hebrew translation. Excellent read for those interested in the human mind and spirit development. Things that amazed me (out of the more than 500 pages):
1. On the basic human traits (as defined by current research): in some bad cases, ("lack of") consciousness is determined by genes
2. Up to date, lots (i.e., way too many) of publishing of research findings is determined by political correctness
3. The unexpected finding of small number of human genes (say 20,000) bothers thinkers. Some are bothered by the closeness to the animal count. Prof. Pinker says not to worry... (Must read his reasons)
4. To understand the nature of the human spirit, one has to delve into a multilevel analysis; the connection between human biology and "humankind" is not simple (i.e., one level).
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