{"id":129711,"date":"2024-09-08T12:38:53","date_gmt":"2024-09-08T16:38:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=129711"},"modified":"2024-09-16T12:52:08","modified_gmt":"2024-09-16T16:52:08","slug":"scientific-view-of-human-nature","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/scientific-view-of-human-nature\/","title":{"rendered":"The Scientific View of Human Nature: Steven Pinker Explains"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What’s wrong with the mainstream view of human nature<\/a>? How does it hold up in light of current scientific understanding?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In The Blank Slate<\/em>, Steven Pinker lays out his scientific arguments against the mainstream view of human nature. Then, he articulates a scientific view of human nature and what this alternative perspective means for gender differences, politics, and our understanding of personality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read more to understand where Pinker is coming from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Scientific Arguments Against the Mainstream View of Human Nature<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

According to Pinker, the mainstream view of human nature doesn\u2019t just fail to deliver the benefits it promises\u2014it also fails to reflect findings from contemporary science. He argues that findings from behavioral genetics, evolutionary psychology, and cognitive science undermine empiricism, romanticism, and dualism, respectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Argument #1: Behavioral Genetics Undermines Empiricism<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

First, Pinker relates that behavioral genetics refutes the empiricist notion that our personality depends on our environment alone<\/strong> because it shows that our genes predispose us toward certain ways of thinking and acting. For example, Pinker points out that twin studies\u2014ones that examine identical twins raised in separate households\u2014reveal that identical twins are significantly more likely to share the same cognitive disorders (such as autism, depression, and anxiety) than adopted siblings raised in the same household. In other words, people who share the same genetic material are significantly more similar than those who share the same environment.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Argument #2: Evolutionary Psychology Undermines Romanticism<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Second, Pinker points out that evolutionary psychology is at odds with romanticism<\/strong> since evolution has steered the brain toward selfishness rather than romantic altruism. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He clarifies that, according to evolutionary psychology, the brain\u2019s tendencies are byproducts of natural selection<\/a><\/em>\u2014the process by which genes that are most likely to be passed down to future generations are selected for and become more frequent. For example, because intelligent people are more likely to survive and therefore reproduce, genes for intelligence are selected for and\u2014as intelligent people reproduce\u2014become more frequent in the population. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Consequently, genes that encourage selfishness are likely to prevail over altruistic genes, because acting selfishly maximizes our chances of reproducing and passing down our genes. For instance, if our brains were predisposed to horde food, that would increase our chance of surviving long enough to reproduce.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Argument #3: Cognitive Science Undermines Dualism<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Finally, Pinker argues that cognitive science undermines dualism<\/strong> because it has shown that the mind can be a purely physical entity. Specifically, he contends that the computational theory of mind<\/em> (CTM) provides a framework for understanding how the mind could arise in a physical world. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the CTM, the mind is analogous to a computer. Mental processes\u2014such as reasoning, learning, and remembering\u2014are computer processes that take inputs from the physical world and yield the correct output. For example, your eyes provide the input from processing a cherry blossom tree with pink flowers, leading to the output, which might be your belief that cherry blossoms are in bloom. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Crucially, Pinker points out that the CTM doesn\u2019t require that any part of the mind be non-physical. After all, the inputs are first processed by physical body parts (like your eyes, ears, and skin). Then, the outputs are processed by physical structures in the brain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Scientific View of Human Nature<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Now that we\u2019ve seen why Pinker rejects the mainstream view of human nature, we\u2019ll consider three components of Pinker\u2019s alternative conception of human nature\u2014our accurate cognitive faculties, fallible consciences, and predisposition toward conflict.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Component #1: Accurate Mental Representations<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Having argued that the mainstream view of human nature is false, Pinker seeks to replace it by showing that science establishes an alternative conception of human nature. In this section, we\u2019ll look at the first component of the scientific view of human nature: accurate mental representations<\/a>. Pinker argues that our brains have evolved to use categories, languages, and images to accurately represent the world<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mental Representation #1: Categories<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Pinker points out that our brains accurately sort things into different categories<\/em> that help us reason about the world. For instance, your brain might categorize \u201clarge green things with scales and sharp teeth that swim underwater\u201d as alligators<\/em>, allowing you to identify alligators when you see them. Then, because you know that alligators are dangerous, this categorization allows you to respond appropriately when you see an alligator\u2014whether that means running away or choosing not to engage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mental Representation #2: Language<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

In addition, Pinker writes that our brains have the capacity for language <\/em>that allows us to accurately represent the world. Unlike postmodernists, who allege that language is merely a consistent system with no connection to the actual world, Pinker argues that we intuitively grasp the connection between our words and our world. For example, we often lament situations in which we can\u2019t find the words to describe our experiences, but this presupposes that we can <\/em>use language to accurately represent our experiences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mental Representation #3: Images<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Finally, Pinker argues that we use images to faithfully capture the world. These images can be physical, like photographs, or mental representations, like when you imagine an apple. Once again, he notes that according to postmodernists, images have no connection to the external world; postmodernist theory holds that images are equivalent <\/em>to reality, rather than representative <\/em>of reality. But Pinker notes that this thesis contradicts our practice of critiquing images as unrealistic\u2014for example, we might critique a painting of a celebrity if it doesn\u2019t resemble them. Contrary to the postmodernist view, this practice presupposes that images can<\/em> accurately resemble the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Component #2: Fallible Moral Judgments<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While these mental representations help us understand the physical world, Pinker argues that another aspect of human nature helps us understand the world of morality\u2014our conscience. According to Pinker, the human conscience evolved as a fallible way of grounding our moral judgments<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pinker writes that, just like the rest of the human mind, our conscience evolved as a combination of neural circuits designed to help us reproduce. For this reason, we often deem actions immoral if they harm our ability to pass down our genetic material. For example, we would be outraged if a member of our family or community were murdered, and it\u2019s clear that murdering someone who shares our genes would make it harder to pass down those genes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, Pinker argues that because our conscience has an evolutionary origin, we\u2019re prone to mistakes when actions that aren\u2019t actually <\/em>immoral harm our ability to pass down our genes. For instance, he notes that most people have a moral aversion to incest between siblings\u2014an action that can lead to genetic defects if siblings reproduce. But, according to Pinker, many ethicists believe that incest can be permissible under the correct conditions (for example, if both adults are consenting and using contraception). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Evolutionary Arguments Against Moral Realism<\/a><\/strong>

While Pinker argues that the evolutionary origin of our conscience means that some <\/em>of our moral judgments are suspect, other moral philosophers go a step further, arguing that all <\/em>of our moral judgments are faulty. According to their evolutionary debunking arguments<\/em>, our capacity for moral reasoning evolved to enhance our genetic fitness<\/em><\/a>\u2014our ability to pass our genes down to future generations. However, they warn that we have no reason to think that the moral judgments that enhance genetic fitness are also true<\/em>.\u00a0

For instance, according to this logic, we don\u2019t have any reason to think that it\u2019s true that killing innocent people is immoral. Similarly, there\u2019s no reason to believe it\u2019s true that incest between siblings is immoral.

The upshot is that morality\u2019s alleged evolutionary origin should lead to universal moral skepticism. These philosophers contend that, rather than viewing our moral intuitions as reliable guides to truth, we should instead view them as useful tools for passing down our genes.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Component #3: Predisposition Toward Conflict<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In addition to describing our tendency to make fallible moral judgments, Pinker argues that we\u2019re predisposed toward conflict because nobody shares our exact genetic interests<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To start, Pinker reminds us that according to evolutionary theory, natural selection has made it more likely we\u2019ll pass down genes that enhance our genetic fitness (that is, make us more likely to reproduce). For this reason, genes that lead us to act in our own self-interest are passed down, as these genes make it more likely that we\u2019ll reproduce. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: Although Pinker is correct that natural selection often <\/em>favors genes that make us act in our own self-interest, experts point out that maladaptive traits<\/em>\u2014those that are actively harmful to our reproductive fitness<\/a>\u2014can also arise through evolution. For example, while a peacock\u2019s colorful tail originally arose to impress potential mates, it can also make peacocks more salient to predators, hurting their survival chances.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The upshot is that we\u2019re predisposed toward conflict because acting in our own self-interest often requires us to act against <\/em>the best interests of others. For instance, siblings within families are likely to vie for parental attention because this attention is beneficial for their development but is a finite resource.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: In other words, to borrow from game theoretic language, our self-interest is often a zero-sum game<\/em>\u2014a game in which one party\u2019s gain necessarily equals the other party\u2019s loss<\/a>.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Implications of the Scientific View of Human Nature<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Having established some of the components of Pinker\u2019s scientific conception of human nature, we\u2019ll now turn to its implications. In particular, we\u2019ll examine arguments that some differences in male and female minds are rooted in genetics, political conservatism is better-founded than progressivism, and children\u2019s personalities are largely heritable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Implication #1: Genes Shape Some Cognitive Differences Between Males and Females\u00a0<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

According to Pinker, the scientific view of human nature sheds light on the hot-button issue of gender<\/em>. In particular, he argues that this account of human nature shows that some differences in men\u2019s and women\u2019s minds have roots in genetics<\/strong>, in contrast with the empiricist idea that gender differences are caused by socialization alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pinker cites scientific studies refuting the empiricist idea that socialization alone causes gender differences. For example, one study examined 25 genetically male children born without a penis due to a medical condition. They were castrated and brought up as girls. The study found that all of these children exhibited traditionally male characteristics (like roughhousing) and half of them declared themselves boys without knowing of their condition. According to Pinker, if gender differences were caused only by culture, this outcome would be unexpected.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In practice, Pinker suggests that the gender gap<\/em>\u2014that many careers have a disproportionately low percentage of women\u2014could have a partially genetic explanation. For example, he notes that the higher percentage of male mathematicians and engineers could be partially due to the fact that, across different cultures, boys tend to have slightly better mathematical and spatial reasoning skills than girls from a young age.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pinker clarifies that such genetically rooted cognitive differences between men and women aren\u2019t <\/em>evidence of one gender\u2019s superiority. <\/strong>Relatedly, any such differences aren\u2019t grounds for gender discrimination. This takeaway aligns with his argument against empiricism: that discrimination is unjustifiable regardless<\/em> of whether innate differences exist between people.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Applying this takeaway to the world of work, Pinker argues for equality of opportunity <\/em>in employment\u2014ensuring men and women have access to the same career opportunities\u2014over equality of outcomes, <\/em>or the idea of basing employment decisions on the goal of proportional representation. Given this, he says, we should focus on supporting policies that make it easier for men and women to thrive in the careers they choose\u2014regardless of whether they choose those careers in equal numbers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Implication #2: Political Conservatism Is Well-Founded<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Pinker also contends that his account of human nature helps us assess the foundations of conservative and progressive<\/a> political thought. He argues that his account of human nature shows that conservatism rests on a stronger foundation than progressivism<\/strong>, as conservatives have traditionally assumed that humans are inherently selfish and corruptible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For context, Pinker explains that secular conservatives such as Edmund Burke have traditionally accepted the view that humans lack understanding and morality. Consequently, they prefer preserving current social traditions because they believe it\u2019s difficult to find new social structures that can accommodate humans\u2019 inherent selfishness and ignorance. For example, consider the tradition of the US\u2019s electoral college, which elects the President via state delegates whose numbers aren\u2019t perfectly proportional to state populations<\/a>. Even if this was a suboptimal system, Burke might encourage retaining it because any replacement could be worse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pinker points out that, by contrast, progressives like Rousseau have historically accepted that humans are malleable and any limits to our knowledge and morality come from <\/em>flawed social structures. For this reason, progressives are quick to upend existing social conditions<\/a> that they think are less than ideal.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Pinker, it\u2019s clear that the view of human nature that traditional conservatives accept is more accurate\u2014for example, science has shown that humans are prone to conflict and have inherently fallible consciences, just as the conservative view assumes. The progressive view, on the other hand, accepts doctrines similar to empiricism and romanticism, which Pinker already argued are misguided. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Implication #3: Children\u2019s Personalities Are Heritable<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Finally, Pinker examines what his scientific account of human nature says about children. Although empiricists contend that children\u2019s personalities depend heavily on their upbringing and home life, Pinker instead argues that children\u2019s personality traits are heritable and their upbringing plays little role<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pinker maintains that twin studies show that all personality traits are heritable to at least some extent. He explains that, because these twins aren\u2019t raised in the same environment, any degree of similarity between them can only have genetic origins. When tested for various core traits (like intelligence, neuroticism, and agreeableness) these twins consistently show heritability values of around 0.5, meaning that 50% of the variation in each personality trait has a genetic origin.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pinker points out that, by contrast, similar studies have shown that our family upbringing has almost negligible impact on our personality. For example, studies of adult siblings\u2019 personality traits reveal that these siblings are similar regardless <\/em>of whether they grew up in the same household. Adopted siblings, on the other hand, don\u2019t demonstrate a higher average degree of similarity than two random strangers.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What’s wrong with the mainstream view of human nature? How does it hold up in light of current scientific understanding? In The Blank Slate, Steven Pinker lays out his scientific arguments against the mainstream view of human nature. Then, he articulates a scientific view of human nature and what this alternative perspective means for gender differences, politics, and our understanding of personality. Read more to understand where Pinker is coming from.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":129722,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21,9,160],"tags":[1582],"class_list":["post-129711","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-philosophy","category-psychology","category-science","tag-the-blank-slate","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Scientific View of Human Nature: Steven Pinker Explains - Shortform Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Steven Pinker shares scientific arguments against the mainstream view of human nature and explains what the scientific view is. Learn more.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/scientific-view-of-human-nature\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Scientific View of Human Nature: Steven Pinker Explains\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Steven Pinker shares scientific arguments against the mainstream view of human nature and explains what the scientific view is. Learn more.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/scientific-view-of-human-nature\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Shortform Books\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-09-08T16:38:53+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-09-16T16:52:08+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/wordpress.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/variety-of-people-diverse-diversity-wealth-culture.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"675\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Elizabeth Whitworth\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Elizabeth Whitworth\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"11 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/scientific-view-of-human-nature\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/scientific-view-of-human-nature\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Elizabeth Whitworth\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/d2928cf6c11a69ced1491d6a5b74fb13\"},\"headline\":\"The Scientific View of Human Nature: Steven Pinker Explains\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-09-08T16:38:53+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-09-16T16:52:08+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/scientific-view-of-human-nature\/\"},\"wordCount\":2408,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/scientific-view-of-human-nature\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/variety-of-people-diverse-diversity-wealth-culture.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"The Blank Slate\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Philosophy\",\"Psychology\",\"Science\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/scientific-view-of-human-nature\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/scientific-view-of-human-nature\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/scientific-view-of-human-nature\/\",\"name\":\"The Scientific View of Human Nature: Steven Pinker Explains - Shortform Books\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/scientific-view-of-human-nature\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/scientific-view-of-human-nature\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/variety-of-people-diverse-diversity-wealth-culture.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-09-08T16:38:53+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2024-09-16T16:52:08+00:00\",\"description\":\"Steven Pinker shares scientific arguments against the mainstream view of human nature and explains what the scientific view is. Learn more.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/scientific-view-of-human-nature\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/scientific-view-of-human-nature\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/scientific-view-of-human-nature\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/variety-of-people-diverse-diversity-wealth-culture.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/variety-of-people-diverse-diversity-wealth-culture.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":675,\"caption\":\"A collage of three people--a young man, a young woman, and an old woman--illustrate the scientific view of human nature\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/scientific-view-of-human-nature\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"The Scientific View of Human Nature: Steven Pinker Explains\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Shortform Books\",\"description\":\"The World's Best Book Summaries\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Shortform Books\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png\",\"width\":500,\"height\":74,\"caption\":\"Shortform Books\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/d2928cf6c11a69ced1491d6a5b74fb13\",\"name\":\"Elizabeth Whitworth\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1fff9d65a52ac4340660218e7b63ee5e365cf08e7aa7adff79a0142cd4b96f84?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1fff9d65a52ac4340660218e7b63ee5e365cf08e7aa7adff79a0142cd4b96f84?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Elizabeth Whitworth\"},\"description\":\"Elizabeth has a lifelong love of books. She devours nonfiction, especially in the areas of history, theology, and philosophy. A switch to audiobooks has kindled her enjoyment of well-narrated fiction, particularly Victorian and early 20th-century works. She appreciates idea-driven books\u2014and a classic murder mystery now and then. Elizabeth has a Substack and is writing a book about what the Bible says about death and hell.\",\"sameAs\":[\"rina@shortform.com\"],\"award\":[\"Contributions to joint task force efforts (FBI)\",\"Contributions to Special Operations Division (DOJ & DEA)\",\"Efforts to fight the war on drugs (NSA)\",\"Contributions to Operation Storm Front (US Customs Service)\"],\"knowsAbout\":[\"History\",\"Theology\",\"Government\"],\"jobTitle\":\"Senior SEO Writer\",\"worksFor\":\"Shortform\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/author\/elizabeth\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The Scientific View of Human Nature: Steven Pinker Explains - Shortform Books","description":"Steven Pinker shares scientific arguments against the mainstream view of human nature and explains what the scientific view is. Learn more.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/scientific-view-of-human-nature\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The Scientific View of Human Nature: Steven Pinker Explains","og_description":"Steven Pinker shares scientific arguments against the mainstream view of human nature and explains what the scientific view is. Learn more.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/scientific-view-of-human-nature\/","og_site_name":"Shortform Books","article_published_time":"2024-09-08T16:38:53+00:00","article_modified_time":"2024-09-16T16:52:08+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":675,"url":"https:\/\/s3.amazonaws.com\/wordpress.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/variety-of-people-diverse-diversity-wealth-culture.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Elizabeth Whitworth","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Elizabeth Whitworth","Est. reading time":"11 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/scientific-view-of-human-nature\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/scientific-view-of-human-nature\/"},"author":{"name":"Elizabeth Whitworth","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/d2928cf6c11a69ced1491d6a5b74fb13"},"headline":"The Scientific View of Human Nature: Steven Pinker Explains","datePublished":"2024-09-08T16:38:53+00:00","dateModified":"2024-09-16T16:52:08+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/scientific-view-of-human-nature\/"},"wordCount":2408,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/scientific-view-of-human-nature\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/variety-of-people-diverse-diversity-wealth-culture.jpg","keywords":["The Blank Slate"],"articleSection":["Philosophy","Psychology","Science"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/scientific-view-of-human-nature\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/scientific-view-of-human-nature\/","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/scientific-view-of-human-nature\/","name":"The Scientific View of Human Nature: Steven Pinker Explains - Shortform Books","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/scientific-view-of-human-nature\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/scientific-view-of-human-nature\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/variety-of-people-diverse-diversity-wealth-culture.jpg","datePublished":"2024-09-08T16:38:53+00:00","dateModified":"2024-09-16T16:52:08+00:00","description":"Steven Pinker shares scientific arguments against the mainstream view of human nature and explains what the scientific view is. Learn more.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/scientific-view-of-human-nature\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/scientific-view-of-human-nature\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/scientific-view-of-human-nature\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/variety-of-people-diverse-diversity-wealth-culture.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/variety-of-people-diverse-diversity-wealth-culture.jpg","width":1200,"height":675,"caption":"A collage of three people--a young man, a young woman, and an old woman--illustrate the scientific view of human nature"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/scientific-view-of-human-nature\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"The Scientific View of Human Nature: Steven Pinker Explains"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/","name":"Shortform Books","description":"The World's Best Book Summaries","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"Shortform Books","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/logo-equilateral-with-text-no-bg.png","width":500,"height":74,"caption":"Shortform Books"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/d2928cf6c11a69ced1491d6a5b74fb13","name":"Elizabeth Whitworth","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1fff9d65a52ac4340660218e7b63ee5e365cf08e7aa7adff79a0142cd4b96f84?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/1fff9d65a52ac4340660218e7b63ee5e365cf08e7aa7adff79a0142cd4b96f84?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Elizabeth Whitworth"},"description":"Elizabeth has a lifelong love of books. She devours nonfiction, especially in the areas of history, theology, and philosophy. A switch to audiobooks has kindled her enjoyment of well-narrated fiction, particularly Victorian and early 20th-century works. She appreciates idea-driven books\u2014and a classic murder mystery now and then. Elizabeth has a Substack and is writing a book about what the Bible says about death and hell.","sameAs":["rina@shortform.com"],"award":["Contributions to joint task force efforts (FBI)","Contributions to Special Operations Division (DOJ & DEA)","Efforts to fight the war on drugs (NSA)","Contributions to Operation Storm Front (US Customs Service)"],"knowsAbout":["History","Theology","Government"],"jobTitle":"Senior SEO Writer","worksFor":"Shortform","url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/author\/elizabeth\/"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/variety-of-people-diverse-diversity-wealth-culture.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/129711","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=129711"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/129711\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":129721,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/129711\/revisions\/129721"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/129722"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=129711"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=129711"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=129711"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}