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The man with the answers is back: Stevin Pinker's The Blank Slate
Author Photo: Steven Pinker When we are born we are a blank slate on
which our experiences of the world are
written, and as we grow older they define who we are.
This is the prevailing view of human life at the beginning of the
twenty-first century. It probably governs - whether you are aware of
it or not - the way you think about yourself and others. It is wrong.

'Reading Steven Pinker is one of the biggest favours I have ever done my brain' Richard Dawkins
Steven Pinker's The Blank Slate exposes the nature nurture debate and examines the very foundation of human identity. Pinker argues that intellectuals have ignored what we are when talking about who we are, denying what is at the very heart of our being - our innate human nature. In an exclusive interview Steven Pinker talks candidly about Chomsky's profound influence on his work, challenges comparisons between himself and Freud, and reveals his top five films as seen below.
Also written by Steven Pinker - How the Mind Works Also written by Steven Pinker - The Language of Instinct
Book Image: How the Mind Works'Witty, lucid and ultimately enthralling' Observer

more ...		 Book Image: The Language of Instinct'A superb book ... groundbreaking exhilerating, fun' Sunday Times

more ...

Pinker reveals his favourite stuff

WHAT ARE YOUR FIVE FAVOURITE BOOKS OF ALL TIME?
Oh, gee. Here are five that pop into mind. I might give a different list tomorrow.
• George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four
• Richard Dawkins' The Blind Watchmaker
• Isaac Bashevis Singer's Enemies: A Love Story
• Thomas Sowell's A Conflict of Visions
• Donald Symons' The Evolution of Human Sexuality

WHAT ARE YOUR FIVE FAVOURITE ALBUMS OF ALL TIME?
Oh, no! Let's see, how about ...
•Ella Fitzgerald, The Cole Porter Songbook
• Miles Davis, Kind of Blue
• Elvis Costello, King of America
• Derek and the Dominoes, Layla
• Donald Symons' The Evolution of Human Sexuality

AND YOUR THREE FAVOURITE FILMS?
I'm going to sneak in five:
• Enemies
• A Love Story
• The Godfather I and II
• A tie: North by Northwest and Rear Window.

Mozart or Beethoven? Beethoven
Burger or caviar? Burger
Summer or Spring? Summer
The Beatles or The Stones? The Beatles
Wine or beer? Beer
Sean Connery or Steve McQueen? Sean Connery
Opera or musical? Musical
Tea or coca-cola? Tea (I'm Canadian)
The past or the future? The future
Snow or sand? Sand (I had enough snow growing up in Montreal)
Lecture or seminar? Lecture
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